


A Whole New World

by puss_nd_boots



Category: DIAURA, MEJIBRAY, Royz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Anal Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Sex Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 03:15:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5274497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, there was a lowly photographer’s assistant who pined after Yo-ka, a gorgeous model – who, it was said, only dated other models. Then, one day, our hero happened upon a mysterious bottle on the beach. Enter Subaru, someone who could give him a whole new life – and you ain’t never had a friend like him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Whole New World

**Author's Note:**

> Mejibray belongs to White Side Group, DIAURA belongs to Ains, Royz belongs to B.P. Records, Lycaon belongs to Vogue Entertainment, I own the story only. This fic is partially based on elements from Walt Disney Pictures’ film Aladdin, which is property of Disney, and the TV series I Dream of Jeannie, which is property of the estate of Sidney Sheldon and Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures. Inspired by a [certain recent photo of Subaru](http://yuke-kun.tumblr.com/post/132815008407) in which he looked, well, like a genie in a bottle – at least to me. In the first part of this fic, I’m using a rumored real name of MiA, Azu Shouya.

Azu Shouya figured he was the only person in the world who could be bored in a beautiful location, surrounded by beautiful people.

He was on a beach, watching as the gorgeous models who had been hired for this shoot were photographed against backdrops of waves and sand and seaside rocks. They turned this way, turned that way, struck poses, gave the camera sultry glances . . .

And he wished he were the one operating the camera. But he wasn’t. Not yet. His big break was far from being a reality. No, he was the same thing he’d been since he came to Tokyo: a photographer’s assistant. Which meant he set up lighting equipment, arranged for cars to take the models to and from the shoot, ran for water, kept abreast of the latest weather radar to see if any outdoor-shoot-wrecking storms were coming . . .

In short, he was a glorified gofer. Not exactly the kind of thing he had in mind when he came to the big city armed with a couple of cameras and a head full of dreams.

“The shoot’s running a bit long, isn’t it?” said a voice next to him. It was Akito, one of the stylists for the models – someone Shouya had seen quite a bit of since this new, not-quite-what-he-wanted phase of his life began.

“No longer than usual,” Shouya said. “They like to take their time.”

“They’d better speed it up pretty soon, or it’s going to be dark,” Akito said. “And they’ve got to remember they’re on a deadline.”

“That doesn’t always matter,” said Shouya. “They always manage to get them pushed up.” He quickly checked his trusty weather app – nope, they still had another hour and a half to go until sunset. Oh, and there were no storms in the vicinity, either.

“You sound like you’re not exactly happy with all this,” Akito said.

Shouya shrugged. “It’s a job,” he said. And that’s all it was to him. Something to keep food on the table, and a small roof over his head, and maybe, just maybe bring him into contact with people who’d help him get somewhere with his own career . . .

It beat being a street rat. But just barely.

“Surely there’s got to be something you’re happy about,” said Akito. “The location? The pretty people? What do you like, male or female? We have them both on this shoot. They’re not wearing much, either.”

Shouya glanced at the pretty bodies posed before the camera – one guy, two women, all of them with broad grins plastered across their faces. None of them did anything for him. Not like . . .

Not like the one person he’d seen on these shoots who’d managed to actually move him. The glorious beauty with the wide eyes and full, plush lips, whose hair shifted back and forth between red, blonde and black, but who never failed to look absolutely beautiful.

His stomach tightened at the thought of him. He’d watch this guy walk by – no, more like glide by – at innumerable photo sessions. Proud, confident, in control . . .

And he never noticed Shouya. Of course he didn’t. Models – the princes and princesses of the fashion world – never noticed mere photographer’s assistants.

“None of them are my type,” he said.

“Oh, really?” said Akito. “So what is your type, then?”

“I don’t like to mix business with pleasure,” Shouya said, quickly, pretending to be very interested in his phone again.

“You’re missing out on one of the best things about being in this industry,” said Akito. “You can just about have your pick. They’re all spread out in front of you, and . . .”

Suddenly, Shouya wasn’t listening to what the stylist was saying. He wasn’t seeing or hearing anything around him, in fact. An entire flock of birds could have hovered just over their heads, chirping the score from an opera while shooting fireworks out of their beaks, and he wouldn’t have noticed.

HE had walked onto the beach. The magnificent creature that Shouya had his eyes on. He had blond hair now, kind of long, hanging down over his leather jacket . . . he obviously wasn’t here for the swimsuit shoot. No, he had come to talk to the photographer about the next day’s shooting.

Akito poked Shouya. “Hey! What’s going on there! Hello, earth to Shouya! Oh, I get it – you DO see something you like, don’t you?”

“Um, well . . .” Shouya said.

“You have good taste. Yo-ka’s a hottie, all right. I’ve worked with him a few times.”

Shouya turned his head. “You have?”

“’Course I have. Everyone has – he’s the hottest thing in the industry right now.”

“Do . . . do you know anything about him?”

“Well, yeah. I know he’s been in the business about three years, he got some kind of Newcomer of the Year award the year he made his debut, he works mostly in hip fashions for young men . . .”

“And?” said Shouya.

“And he only dates other models. So don’t get your hopes up.”

Well, there went the last little light of his dreary life, winking out like the last twinkle bulbs of Christmas a week after New Year’s. “I . . . I see.”

“But, hey – plenty more where he came from, right? And you’ll find someone just as hot who’ll want to date you.” Akito gave him an elbow in the ribs.

Shouya looked forlornly in the direction of the model. He doubted he’d find someone else like him. Yo-ka had a quality that went beyond merely “hot” He seemed to have, well, a glow that came from within. That was a quality that didn’t show up every day.

* * *

The session was long over. The models were gone, the cameras put away. Darkness had fallen on the sand. The only sound was the waves whispering on the beach.

But one remnant of the photoshoot remained – in the person of the boy at the water’s edge, staring out at the horizon.

Shouya didn’t feel like going home. Not yet. There were a few hours until the train he was booked for. Besides, he’d rather be out here in the fresh air than at home in his dingy four walls. Especially the way he felt right now.

He didn’t know why the Yo-ka thing was so painful to him. He knew the difference in their status within the industry. He also knew he was, well . . . rather plain. Not the kind of guy that gorgeous people gravitated to anyway.

But still, hearing that he only dated other models . . . it was a crushing blow.

Shouya picked up a rock and flung it out into the water. Maybe it was because it was a disappointment on top of all the other disappointments. The failure to get his career off the ground, the inability to find someone special, the regular phone calls from his mother telling him how oh-so-successful his cousins were, in both work and life, and hadn’t he given up on this crazy fashion photography thing yet . . .

He felt like his break was hovering over his head, just waiting for him to grasp it – except he didn’t know how to reach it. It kept shifting, moving, like a butterfly that fluttered away when you got too near.

Shouya sighed. He’d go drinking to ease his pain – but that wasn’t in his budget right now. Maybe he shouldn’t be hanging out here moping. Maybe he should just try to switch his ticket to an earlier train, go home and . . .

That’s when he noticed the unusually shaped object at the water’s edge. 

At first, he thought it might be some sort of small animal – wasn’t that a head at the end? No, the body was way too skinny to support a head like that. Some kind of unusual shell, then?

He moved closer, pulling out his phone and turning on the “flashlight” function. Okay, it was . . . a bottle. Some sort of antique decanter, with a squat, round bottom leading to a long, long, thin neck. It was made of some sort of dark colored glass, covered with gold latticework, topped with an elegant glass stopper that was carved like some kind of outsized diamond.

Well, it was . . . pretty. And potentially very valuable. He wondered if it fell off a rich person’s yacht while they were drinking cocktails onboard. He picked it up, pulled out the stopper and glanced inside – it looked to be empty.

He could faintly make out some sort of writing on the front, covered with water and fibers from some kind of sea plant. Shouya sat down, putting the phone back in his pocket for now, and began to rub at the blockage.

The bottle began to shake – as if an earthquake were taking place inside it.

Shouya yelped, dropped it and jumped back . . . only to see smoke start to pour out of the top of it. In the light of the full moon, it looked vaguely pinkish. The smoke formed a column next to the bottle, and began to take the shape of . . .

A woman? No, the smoke was gradually turning into a man, a slender young man with long blond hair, some of it bound in a ponytail on the top of his head with silvery bands. He was wearing a maroon or purple top that only came halfway down his stomach, with sheer sleeves; matching pants with balloon-style legs that were bound with cuffs at his ankles, gold slippers that curled at the toes . . .

Shouya blinked. What . . . the . . . hell . . .

Did he hit his head on the beach? That had to be it. He slipped and hit his head, and this was a hallucination. Because guys just didn’t form out of columns of smoke that poured out of bottles. That didn’t happen. Nope.

The bottle-man looked around – and Shouya could notice that he had very fine, pretty features. Wide eyes, lush lips, high cheekbones . . . just about anything he liked to see in a potential date. Yes, he’d definitely hit his head and made this guy up. He’d just enjoy the view until he got back to normal.

He watched those lips open, and the man start to speak . . . and what came out was a string of words in a foreign language that sounded vaguely Middle Eastern. The newcomer stepped toward him, a look of wonderment on the pretty face . . .

And Shouya said, automatically, “Who are you? How did you get here? Where did you come from?”

The blond man blinked. “Japanese?” he said. “I’m in Japan again?”

“You speak Japanese?” Shouya said, scrambling to his feet.

“I speak the languages of every country I’ve been in,” the newcomer said. “But . . . I’ve forgotten my manners.” He suddenly flung himself to his knees, bowed his head and held his hands in front of him, straight up and down, palms pressed together. “You have freed me from the bottle, Master, and for that, I show my gratitude. From now on, I am bound to serve you.”

Now Shouya was utterly baffled. Was this guy into BDSM? If so . . . who found a partner for that kind of thing by pulling some sort of special effects trick? “I’m . . . I’m not into that . . .”

“I mean that I am to grant you three wishes, Master. That is the law whenever such as me is freed from a bottle.”

Now Shouya’s head was running through films and TV shows he had seen as a child. A being emerging from some sort of container . . . three wishes . . . this person saying he was bound to serve him . . .

Oh, no. No, it couldn’t be. Such things didn’t exist – at least not outside of theme parks.

“You’re . . . you’re . . . a GENIE?”

“We’ve been called such by humans, yes.”

“And you’re here to serve . . . me?”

“Yes, Master. You’re the one who freed me.”

“You don’t have to call me Master. You can call me Shouya. That’s my name.”

“All right, Shouya-sama.”

“Just Shouya. And what is your name? And . . . you can look at me, you don’t have to bow like that. Really.”

The genie looked up, slowly, putting his arms down stiffly – as if he wasn’t used to doing such a thing. “I was named after the brightest star in the sky. So in your language, my name would be Subaru.”

“All right . . . Subaru. I . . . I . . .” Shouya sat down. “I need to process this.”

“Take your time,” Subaru said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re really . . . you’re going to stay with me? All the time?”

“Not all the time. I don’t have to go everywhere with you. I will appear when I’m needed, though. And I’ll stay in your home.”

“Home?” Subaru pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “Oh, my God, I only have a few minutes to get to the station. If I miss this train . . .”

“I can get you home.”

“You can?”

“Of course. I’m allowed to do little things to help you without it counting as a full wish. Now, where do you live?”

“You . . . know the geography of Japan?”

“I don’t have to. Just tell me.”

As if in a trance, Shouya recited his address – street, building number, apartment number. No way was this going to work. No way. It was still a hallucination – right?

Subaru raised his hand in the air, snapped his fingers – and suddenly, it felt like the air was warping around Shouya. He was somewhere in the heart of a cyclone, nothing visible outside him but a blur . . .

As quick as the sensation came, it faded. He blinked. He was sitting on . . . wood. A floor. It was dark, but he could make out vague shapes of a table, a chair . . .

He stood up and reached for where his light switch was. Yes, right where it was supposed to be. He flipped it – and sure enough, he was in his apartment.

Standing in front of him was Subaru, with the bottle in front of him on the floor. Now that he could see him fully, he could tell his outfit was purple – the same color as the glass of the bottle. There was a silver ornament of some sort on his forehead, hanging on a chain threaded through his hair . . .

And he was even more gorgeous than he’d looked on the beach. Sweet and innocent looking – but with an undeniable sexiness.

“Now do you believe what I am?” he said.

Shouya plunked down in his chair – one of the few pieces of furniture that could fit in the tiny room. “This is real,” he said, as if in a stupor. “This is real, it’s really happening . . .”

“Of course it is.” Subaru gave a little hop, levitated in the air for a moment, and then floated over to the table/kotatsu that was in front of Shouya’s chair. He landed on top of it, sitting cross-legged. “You’re here, and so am I.”

“And you’re going to give me three wishes.”

“Oh, yes. About that.” Subaru sat up straighter. “There’s some rules around those wishes, you know. For the most part, you have free reign, but there’s some things I can’t do. First of all, I can’t kill anyone. I also can’t bring anyone back from the dead. I can’t make you travel through time, and you can’t wish for more wishes.”

It was slowly registering in Shouya’s mind that this could mean that he could have anything he wanted. Or . . . anyone. Like, for instance . . . Yo-ka. He could ask this genie to make Yo-ka fall in love with him, couldn’t he? All it would take would be a few words, phrased in the form of a wish, and . . .

“Oh, and one more thing,” said Subaru. “I can’t force someone to fall in love with you. We can use other kinds of mind tricks on people, but love is a sacred emotion, so we don’t fool with it.”

And with that, Shouya promptly deflated. Well, there went that idea. 

Subaru immediately noticed this. “Shouya-sama? Something wrong?”

Shouya shook his head.

“It’s the last thing I said, isn’t it? There’s somebody you have your eye on?”

“Well, yes,” Shouya sighed. “There is. He’s somebody I know from work, but . . . he’s not going to notice me. I’m a nobody.”

“Don’t say that,” Subaru said. “Everybody is a somebody. It’s just that some people don’t know that yet.”

“Guys like him . . . they don’t pay attention to photographer’s assistants. We’re the low men on the fashion industry totem pole. We’re . . .”

And suddenly, an idea was forming in his mind. It was . . . nuts. Totally insane. No way could it happen. Except . . .there was someone in front of him who could make it happen, wasn’t there?

He suddenly blurted out, “Subaru, can you make me a model?”

Subaru looked puzzled. “A model?”

“A fashion model. A guy who gets his pictures taken for magazines and on the runway.”

Subaru suddenly looked delighted. No, that was an understatement. His entire face lit up. His eyes sparkled, and his mouth curved into an enormous grin

“Of course I can!” he said. “That would be a fun project! Nobody’s ever asked me for something like that before!”

“They haven’t?” Shouya said.

“No!” Subaru levitated off the table and moved himself over so he could put his feet back on the floor. “They usually ask for wealth or power straight off. And then . . .” He sighed, a dark expression suddenly clouding his eyes. “They ask for MORE wealth and power.”

“I . . . I couldn’t do something like that,” Shouya said.

“But we’re not going to think about my old masters,” said Subaru. “We’re going to think about YOU. Now, what do you sleep on?”

“A futon. It’s rolled in the closet.”

“Go get it.”

Shouya blinked. “Why?”

“The first stage of this involves me putting you to sleep for a few minutes. The magic might be painful otherwise.”

Shouya suddenly looked startled. “PAINFUL?”

“Don’t worry – I’m not going to hurt you. Just make a few . . . adjustments.”

Shouya looked dubious. “I don’t know . . .”

“You want to be a model, don’t you?”

He flashed back to earlier that day (God, it seemed like a century ago now) – the ethereal sight of Yo-ka gliding into the shoot, Akito saying, “He only dates other models . . .”

This was his one shot at reaching for the prize he wanted – to get Yo-ka’s attention and keep it. And he found himself moving toward the closet.

Once the futon was unrolled on the floor, he lay on his back, a bit awkwardly. “What do I do now?”

“You phrase what you want in the form of a wish. I can’t do anything until you do. And remember – from now on, if you say anything with ‘I wish’ in front of it, it’s an official wish. I have to grant it to you, and once there’s three of them? Well . . .”

He glanced over toward the bottle, sadly. Shouya got the message. He’d be trapped in that bottle again – until the next person released him.

“All right.” Shouya took a deep breath. “Genie . . .Subaru . . . I wish to be a fashion model!”

“And your wish is my command,” Subaru said, holding his hand over Shouya. “Night-night!”

He snapped his fingers, and Shouya instantly found himself dragged into a vortex of sleep, falling faster and more soundly than he could ever remember.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, the first rays of dawn were peeking through the window. Well, that was a weird dream, he thought, blinking and starting to stand up . . .

And promptly stumbling. There was something wrong with his legs. It felt like there was, well . . more of them. Like he was standing on stilts.

What the hell? he thought. He took a few steps – and stumbled again. He took a deep breath, tried to get his bearings . . .

And saw Subaru sitting on the table, bottle next to him – and his phone in his hand.

“Boy, surfing the Internet is a lot easier now than it was the last time I was out,” Subaru said. “Back then, you needed a computer!”

“Subaru!” said Shouya. “What did you do to my legs?”

“I made them the most gorgeous legs in the world,” said Subaru with a broad smile.

“You did WHAT?”

“You asked me to make you a model, right? Well . . . take a look at this!” He jumped up from the table, grabbed Shouya’s arm and steered him over to the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door, Shouya wobbling all the way.

The sight that greeted him in the glass shocked him.

It was him, and yet . . . not him. The features were still basically the ones he’d started out with, but . . . reshaped. His nose was considerably more narrow now. His eyes were wider. His lips were fuller, his teeth straighter. His hair was now blond, falling down to his shoulders in soft, curling waves.

And then, there were the legs. He could see the calves poking out of the bottom of the pants he was wearing before. They were definitely . . . longer.

“Go on,” Subaru said. “Take your pants off.”

“WHAT?”

“I’m not going to consider it indecent. Take your pants off and get a look at your legs.”

Shouya paused, and then unzipped his pants, glancing nervously at Subaru. He pulled them down his legs, stepped out of them . . .

And he was greeted with the sight of a pair of long, shapely male legs. Nicely sculpted calves, beautifully muscled thighs . . . the kind of legs one fantasized about kissing their way along during sex.

He just stared at the whole picture. Was that him? Really him? This . . . beauty? This hot guy?

Subaru game him a friendly thump on the back. “Say goodbye to plain old Shouya . . . and hello to MiA!”

The befuddled master looked at his genie. “MiA?”’

“That’s your model name. It’s your NAME-name now, for all intents and purposes. That’s you now. Beautiful, fabulous MiA! It’s even on the cover of your portfolio!”

Shouya – no, MiA, because he couldn’t think of this person looking back at him from the glass as Shouya – looked at Subaru. “What portfolio?”

“This one!” The genie snapped his fingers, and a leather-covered, zippered case appeared in his hand. He gave it to MiA. “Look!”

MiA (still feeling a bit wobbly on his new legs) glanced at the cover – which was, indeed, stamped with the name MiA in the lower right-hand corner. He flipped it open, and there was . . .

Pictures. Of him. With the new MiA face and body. Wearing high-fashion clothes and impeccable makeup, posed in all kinds of glamor-shot manners.

“I didn’t pose for these,” he said. “How did you get them?”

“Well, you wouldn’t understand the magic, exactly . . . but basically, it involved finding glamor shots on the Internet and replacing the model there with you.”

“You STOLE other people’s pictures?”

“I didn’t steal. I just used them as a template, so to speak. Oh, and the portfolio’s on a flash drive too, if they want it in that form.” He snapped his fingers again, and a data stick appeared in his hand, which he gave to MiA.

“I . . . I don’t believe this,” MiA said.

“Oh, and by the way . . . we have an appointment with the Swan Agency at 11 this morning.”

Swan? That was the top male model agency in the country – the one Yo-ka was with. “We . . . we do?”

“Yes. They had an opening in their schedule then.”

“You hacked their system?”

“I didn’t hack it. We just have ways of looking into these things.”

“And what do you mean . . . we?”

“I have to go with you, right? To make sure you get hired by them. We’re going to say I’m your photographer.” He impulsively hugged MiA – nearly knocking him off his new legs again. “I’m so glad you turned out so beautiful! You’re going to be a great model.”

MiA just stood there, stunned. First of all, that he was, well, MiA. Second of all, that this was happening so fast. Twenty-four hours ago, he was a frumpy photographer’s assistant, and now . . .

Now, he was on the verge of . . . well, a new career. And being able to make a play for Yo-ka. And . . . well, he had Subaru in his life now. That was an adventure in itself.

* * *

When MiA was getting ready to go, he realized he had a problem. His old pants no longer fit his new legs.

He just stood there, wobbling (since he still hadn’t gotten used to the length of them yet), staring at what were once a pair of very well-fitting black dress pants . . . and were now, well, what could only be described as dorkwear. Too short to be pants, too long to be shorts.

Subaru gazed at him critically from across the room. “That won’t do,” he said.

“Subaru,” said MiA, “can you do something? Please?”

“I was planning to, anyway,” said Subaru. “You have to look a lot hipper than that.” He snapped his fingers – and MiA’s outfit was suddenly a pair of perfectly tailored pants, matched with hip-looking, shiny black shoes, a silver-gray shirt with a slight metallic sheen, a white jacket covered with colorful patterns . . .

“And now, your makeup.” Subaru snapped again. “Oh, and yes – the hair. Should have taken care of that detail last night.” Another snap, and MiA watched as the tips of the blond waves turned a light violet. He turned toward the mirror – and stumbled, flailing around madly.

“Oh, and I need to do something about the balance.” Subaru snapped again. “There – you should be able to walk perfectly now.”

MiA took a couple of tentative steps . . . yes, he could now walk as easily as he could when his legs were their old length. “Thank you,” he said. “That’s much better now.”

“No need to thank me,” Subaru said. “It’s what I’m here for.”

“But . . . have I used up all my favors already? You’ve done so much . . .”

“This is all covered by the one wish. You wanted to be a model. Everything I’m doing now – fine-tuning your appearance, your walk, getting you the appointment – is going into that wish. Once your career is launched and you’re actually in front of the cameras, the wish is fulfilled. From that point, I can do little things here and there, like I said – but if you want something else big, that’s another wish.” He put his hands on MiA’s shoulders and turned him back toward the mirror. “Now, take a look at yourself.”

MiA just stared. He couldn’t believe it. Now the new face was enhanced with perfectly applied makeup. It was like looking at the models he used to see al the time when he was running errands.

“Well?” said Subaru. “What do you think?”

“I’m . . . I’m beautiful,” MiA said. “I’m really beautiful!”

“Told you,” Subaru said. “You’re going to knock them dead at the agency.” He picked up the portfolio from the table and handed it to MiA. “Oh, I almost forgot – I need to change my appearance, too. Let’s see, I’m supposed to be your photographer . . .” He thought a moment, and then snapped. He was wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt, with a baseball cap. “This look about right?”

“For an amateur photographer helping out a friend, yes,” MiA said. “Subaru . . . what do you mean, you’re going to make sure I’m hired?”

“You’ll see,” said Subaru. “Okay, I’m going to transport us into the alley next to their building. It would look pretty strange if we appeared right in the middle of their reception area, wouldn’t it?”

There was a snap, and MiA experienced the strange, warping, vertigo sensation he had the night before. He blinked – and they were, indeed, in an alley. “We’re . . .”

“Right where I said we were,” said Subaru. “Go on – just walk out in the street casually and hang a left, you’ll be right there.”

When he stepped out into the sun, he realized he was in Shibuya, on a street loaded with gleaming buildings. He was making a turn into the most gleaming of them all.

“Here it is,” Subaru said, reading the sign. “Swan Agency, sixth floor.”

MiA walked toward the elevator in a trance. This was a dream. This was a long, detailed dream. He was going to wake up and find out he’d passed out on the beach after yesterday’s shoot, and everything was like it always was, and he was just schlubby Shouya, not fabulous MiA, and he’d be calling all the photographers he had in his phone to see who needed an assistant for their next shoot . . .

But he didn’t wake up as the elevator whooshed upward, nor when it clinked to a stop and the doors opened on a reception area that was all glass and chrome and white, with a young woman who looked like she could be a model herself sitting at the desk, smiling. “May I help you?”

“I . . . I have an 11 o’clock appointment, my name is MiA . . .”

“Just a moment,” she said, pushing a button on the console in front of her and speaking into her headpiece. “Adachi-san? Your 11 o’clock is here. Yes, I’ll send him in.” She turned to MiA. “Straight back, it’s the big door at the end of the hall.”

“Thank you,” MiA said, bowing to her. He was going to wake up . . . now, right? No, he and Subaru were making their way down the corridor, past more white and chrome, past framed photos of ridiculously beautiful men . . .

The big door at the end of the hall opened, and a tall, elegant man with a thick shock of perfectly groomed hair and a tailored suit of Italian style stood waiting for them. “Welcome, MiA,” he said. “Won’t you come in?”

“Thank you, Adachi-san,” MiA said, bowing. Good Lord – this wasn’t just any agent seeing him. It was Adachi Naoki himself, the head of the agency. How on earth did Subaru . . .

“I was very impressed with the photos your photographer friend send me,” Adachi said. “I am in the presence of the photographer, am I not?”

“Yes, Adachi-san,” Subaru said, bowing. “You may call me Subaru.”

“All right, Subaru-san. You did a very good job with the pictures. And you?” He looked at MiA. “You looked all-pro.”

How did he see the pictures if Subaru just conjured them into existence last night? MiA thought. Subaru must have mind-controlled the people at the agency, made them think they’d looked at the pictures before they actually did.

“Thank you,” MiA said. “I have to admit, I haven’t done a lot of this.”

“Oh?” said Adachi-san.

“Yes. I’ve been on the other side of the camera until now, you see. I’m a photographer myself.” No need to bring up that his professional experience at this point had been limited to being a glorified gofer.

“Sometimes, photographers make the best models,” said Adachi. “They know just what the photographer is looking for, and they give it to them. So tell me – what made you decide to try out this side of the business?”

Well, he couldn’t very well say, “I want to be a model to have a shot at impressing a guy I have my eye on,” could he? Instead, he said, “It’s what you just said – only opposite. I felt that becoming a model might help me be a better photographer – to understand every aspect of the process better.”

“Interesting,” said Adachi. “Very interesting! Well, MiA, I think I might be willing to give you a shot. Let me see which of our photographers I can set you up with . . .” He turned to his computer, bringing up a database . . .

And at that point, Subaru raised his fingers and snapped, winking at MiA.

“Yes,” said Adachi. “We had a model drop out of tomorrow’s Black Moral shoot all of a sudden. I’m going to send you over there.”

MiA’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “B-b-b-Black Moral?” Holy hell. Holy HELL. Black Moral was HUGE. Top models posed for that brand . . . including Yo-ka.

“Yes,” Adachi said. “Oh, and I understand Ruki-san himself will be at the shoot.” He punched a few keys on the computer. “I’m going to send you the details of where and when . . .”

MiA’s heart was racing. He was expecting to be told he was going to do some test shots with a professional photographer – not that he was being assigned to a Black Moral shoot! One that was being attended by the line’s head designer! “Yes,” he said, bowing. “Yes, thank you so much, Adachi-san!”

“Now, I’m going to turn you over to one of my assistants. She’ll go over the fine details of your contract with you.”

Contract? CONTRACT? He glanced at Subaru – who just winked. When he said he was going to make his wish come true, he meant it. Okay, this wasn’t his REAL wish. He just wanted the status of “model” so Yo-ka would notice him. But now that he had the idea of modeling in a Black Moral shoot staring him in the face, he realized he wanted it more than he thought.

If this really was a dream, he was beginning to hope he’d never wake up.

* * *

Rather than go straight back to his apartment afterward, MiA felt like going for a walk. His head was still spinning with all this. He had a contract – and while he wasn’t exactly making the same salaries as the top models, it was a sum that flattened what he’d been making before.

He and Subaru made their way into a park. “Are you pleased?” Subaru said.

“Pleased?” MiA shook his head. “Subaru, this is incredible. Unbelievable. Except . . .”

“Except?”

“How did you do it? Did you . . . manipulate their minds?”

“Well, yes,” said Subaru. “It had to be done, you see? They had to think they saw your portfolio a week ago, and that you came recommended by someone in the industry they knew and trusted – they think I’m the protégée of a big-name photographer.”

“And the Black Moral shoot – did you do something to the model to make him drop out?”

Subaru shook his head. “Negative. I just scanned for a possible future shoot I could insert you into. It just so happened a model had dropped out of the Black Moral shoot due to the flu right before you arrived at the office.”

“You can read minds?” MiA sat down on a bench.

“My powers are enhanced when my master is in, shall we say, active wish mode,” Subaru said as he plunked down next to him. “I can’t read minds all the time. When I’m granting a wish, I can look into just about anything I need to at a glance to find information I need. Once this wish is fulfilled? I’ll power down a little. And remember – the wish only covers launching your new career. What happens from there is up to you.”

MiA shook his head. “How was I lucky enough to find you?” he said.

“It’s pure chance,” Subaru said. “I have no control over who ends up my master. It’s just a matter of where the bottle washes up.”

“What do you mean – where it washes up?” MiA watched a couple of schoolgirls walk past – and then do a double-take to glance at him again. He wasn’t used to that – to being noticeable.

“Whenever I complete a set of three wishes, I get sucked into the bottle again,” Subaru said. “Then the bottle ends up at the bottom of the sea. The sea tosses it around until it hits land – and then I hope for someone to find it, and open it, and rub it, and free me – so I can grant the next person’s wishes. Sometimes it’s found just days after I go back in the ocean, sometimes it’s years.”

MiA wondered how old Subaru was. He looked about his own age – but he imagined genies were ageless. “So when you’re in the bottle, you do . . . nothing?”

Subaru nodded. “I have sort of a magic mirror in there that lets me see what’s going on in the world – or at least in the geographic area I’m closest to at the moment. Before you found me, I knew I was going to end up somewhere in Asia, because I was seeing scenes of China and Japan in the mirror. That’s how I’m able to keep up with clothing, technology, that kind of thing.”

MiA glanced over at the other man. “Subaru, is it like that for all genies? Are they all bound to bottles like you?”

The genie looked down at the ground, a pained expression crossing his face. “No,” he said, softly. “It isn’t.”

“What happened? How did you end up like this?”

Subaru glanced upward. “My people are called the Djinn,” he said. “We live in, well, a world of our own. Call it a parallel Earth, where we have magic instead of technology. It’s a society a bit like your own Middle East, only more socially liberal on most fronts. There’s some ways in which we’re very traditional. Like . . . we deal with crime harshly. Being a bottle slave . . . cast out of our own world, forced to serve whatever human that finds you . . . is usually the worst of our punishments. The Djinn don’t think much of humans – and for good reason. Most of them are greedy and selfish.”

“Crime?” MiA said. “You’re a criminal?”

Subaru shook his head. “I did nothing wrong,” he said. “Not really. I just . . .” He sighed. “I told you we’re still traditional in a lot of ways, right? Well, one way is that the higher-ranking families still practice arranged marriage. I was born into a very noble family – I’d probably be the equivalent of a European earl or count. And so, I was betrothed to the daughter of a very powerful and very overprotective vizier. But . . . there was a problem . . .”

“You didn’t want to marry her?”

“I couldn’t,” said Subaru, looking up at the sky again. “I knew I couldn’t be the kind of husband she wanted or deserved. Because I don’t like women. I mean, I like them, just not in THAT way. I’ve always been attracted to men only. If I were to marry her, it would be a lie – and she was a sweet woman. She deserved better. So I tried to let her down easy. Except . . .” 

MiA reached over and put a hand on Subaru’s shoulder. He knew the telling of this part of the story couldn’t be easy.

“She took it a lot worse than I thought she would. And her father flew into a fury. An absolute fury. To him, breaking his daughter’s heart was a crime as bad as murder or treason. And a government official as high-ranking as him is entitled to act as judge, jury and executioner in our society – they can sentence someone without trial. He found me, and bound me to a bottle, and . . .” He looked down. “I’ve been a bottle slave ever since.”

“Subaru . . .” MiA suddenly felt his heart breaking for the genie. He’d been sentenced to the harshest punishment for being honest about who and what he was. Nobody deserved that.

“It’s all right,” Subaru said. “I’ve accepted it as my lot in life now. At least it’s predictable, right?”

“It shouldn’t be your lot in life,” MiA said. “It shouldn’t be anyone’s lot in life, especially for something so minor!”

Subaru put a hand over the one MiA had on his shoulder. “Let’s not think about that, okay? Let’s think about you, and the fabulous career you’re going to have.”

“I don’t want it at the expense of your freedom!” said MiA.

“Really, it’s making me happy to do this,” said Subaru. “It’s the most fun wish I’ve had in a long time. Besides, once the magic’s done, it can’t be undone. So go forward and be a great model.” He stood up. “Why don’t we go out for ramen to celebrate?”

“You eat?” MiA said, getting up as well.

“I don’t need to,” Subaru said. “But I do enjoy it sometimes. Especially when I’m in Japan. You have some great food here.”

“Why do you sound like you’re from Osaka, by the way?” MiA said. It was still bothering him that Subaru had been sentenced to this fate in such a cruel manner – but Subaru seemed to be trying to move past their discussion.

“My last Japanese master lived there,” Subaru said. “And it took him a really long time to decide on his wishes, so I was there long enough to pick up the dialect.”

As the two of them went off in search of ramen, MiA thought about the genie stories he’d heard as a child – about how the genie could be freed with his master’s third wish, if the master so chose. Obviously, none of Subaru’s previous masters heard those stories . . . or were too selfish to use the third wish that way . . . or maybe it just plain didn’t work.

But he was bound and determined that he was going to test the story when the time came.

* * *

Yo-ka was beginning to feel like going to shoots was like being on a treadmill.

Whatever the brand, whatever the designer, it was the same thing. Stand up, smile, pose pretty, shift, pose again, get hair and makeup touched up, pose again . . . 

He remembered when being before the cameras was a charge, an adrenaline rush, when he was feeling a real connection between himself and the photographer and the people he knew were going to be looking at the pictures. He remembered looking forward to going to shoots.

It had been awhile since he’d felt that way.

“So how’s it going, Yo-ka?” Kaoru said as he applied the makeup. Of course, the stylist was Karou today, it was a Black Moral shoot. Ruki never worked with anyone else.

“Same as always,” Yo-ka said. “How’s it going with you?”

“We’ve got a little bit of excitement today,” said Karou. “There’s a newbie on the set.”

“Really?” Yo-ka was surprised – Ruki usually had established models only.

“Yes. Guy nobody’s seen before. A last-minute replacement, I heard. But he came in here on fire – and he’s burning up the lens right now.”

“Hmmmm.” Well, no wonder the guy was enthusiastic if he was new. He’d had no time to become jaded.

“By the way – how’s it going with Toshi?” Kaoru said, turning his attention to Yo-ka’s hair.

“It fell apart,” Yo-ka said. “Two dates, that was it. There was just . . . nothing there. No spark. No fire.”

“It’s that way for you all the time, isn’t it?” said Karou. “None of your relationships last long.”

“That’s just the way it is,” Yo-ka said. Yes, the way it had been for the past six months or so. Ever since the love of his life had taken off for a year-long assignment in Milan . . .

Maybe he had been too harsh about it. Maybe he shouldn’t have fought with Yuuki before he left. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so upset at Yuuki’s suggestion they both casually date other people before their separation.

Maybe then they’d be talking on Skype every night, and still together and happy and very much a couple – instead of this “up in the air” stuff. Would they still be a couple when Yuuki returned to Japan?

He knew all too well that their separation was the point where everything started to feel like an endless loop of routine – career, dating, life in general. Without Yuuki to give him spark, everything was just so . . . flat.

“You can’t just mope around, you know,” Karou said. “Life is out there. Guys are out there. Hot guys. You’re the sexiest thing on two legs, you can score whoever you want.”

“I know,” Yo-ka said. “It’s just, well . . .”

Karou finished his work. “You just take a look at that newbie over there,” he said. “Maybe he’s a prospect for you.”

“Yeah,” Yo-ka said. “As if.”

He headed toward where the photographers were working, waiting for the newbie to be finished, and for him to get his turn . . . and then, his eyes fell on the man being photographed.

It wasn’t just that he was pretty. Yo-ka spent his whole life being surrounded by beauty – pretty people, pretty clothes, pretty surroundings. No, there was a spirit, a fire radiating from him that seemed to make the very air surrounding him vibrate.

The blond was turning this way and that, following the photographer’s instructions perfectly. One second he was cool and aloof, the next hot and alluring. He drew attention in – and kept it there.

He raised his head, an arm, looking like a living statue, a gorgeous sculpture made by loving hands. And then he shifted, the movement a graceful flow. Yo-ka, the jaded supermodel, suddenly found he couldn’t keep his eyes off the man.

This guy had all the fire that Yo-ka himself used to. It was like he was born to model.

The photographer put down his camera, the newcomer bowed, the crew applauded. He started to walk in Yo-ka’s direction – and suddenly froze.

He’s probably intimidated by me, Yo-ka thought. He quickly rushed over to the newcomer. “That was great,” he said.

“You think so?” said the novice, blushing slightly. “It’s my first time modeling – well, at a shoot as big as this.”

“I know so,” said Yo-ka. “You have a natural talent. Have you done a lot of this?”

MiA shook his head. “I’m usually a photographer,” he said.

“I’m impressed,” said Yo-ka. “I really am. Oh, I’m Yo-ka, by the way.”

“MiA,” he said, bowing. “My name is MiA.”

“It’s a lovely name for a lovely man..”

“Th-thank you.” His blush and stammer – especially in contrast to the fire he was showing in front of the cameras – just made him all the more appealing.

“Look, MiA, I have to go before the cameras next, but . . . would you like to talk more later? Say, over drinks?

MiA’s eyes flew open. His jaw nearly hit the floor. “I’d . . . sure, I’d love it! Yes, I’d love it!”

“Good. Give me your phone, I want to put my number in it.”

MiA handed the phone over with trembling fingers – and then looked equally shocked when Yo-ka handed over his own. He was cute as hell.

“I’ll see you later, then?” the newbie said, when they gave each other’s phones back.

“Yes,” Yo-ka said. “I’ll let you know where and when.”

MiA just about skipped away – and Yo-ka felt a strange warmth inside him.

He’d just met this guy. He didn’t know anything about him – though he was planning to remedy that later. But something was telling him he might have found the person who was going to give him his inner fire back. 

* * *

When MiA arrived at the shoot, it suddenly hit him all at once that he was really, truly going to be a MODEL.

Up until now, it had been an abstract concept. “Model” had been “something he needed to be in order to be noticed by Yo-ka.” But here he was, sitting on a chair, having his hair and makeup attended to, watching the assistants (yes, that was him until a couple of days ago) running around pushing lights and scenery into place.

They’re going to be taking my picture, he thought. Me. Azu Shouya. No, not that anymore – MiA.

A small panic rose up in him. He’d never done this before. At all. The only photos he’d posed for were the kind your mom printed out and stuck in a scrapbook. He had no idea what to . . .

_Yes you do,_ a voice in the back of his head said. _You’ve watched models do it a thousand times, haven’t you? And you’ve heard what the photographers have said to them. All you need to do is relax, be yourself . . . and think about what you’re wearing. What you’re selling. What the designer might have been thinking when he created the outfit. Then convey that._

MiA took a deep breath. He glanced over at the rack of clothes – all blacks and reds, casual punk-funk. It needed . . . attitude. But with a touch of class.

He knew just what he was going to do.

When the photographer called out, “MiA, we’re ready to go,” he nodded and stepped onto the set. Okay, he thought. One, two, three . . . and we’re off.

At first, despite his best efforts to relax, he felt stiff and awkward. But after a few clicks of the shutter, he seemed to fall into . . . well, a rhythm. A groove. He was following the photographer’s instructions – turn here, raise this arm, look over there . . . but he was putting his own spin on it. He was the embodiment of the fashion he was wearing – no-nonsense, serious, but not without a sense of fun.

And before he knew it, the photographer was putting his camera down. “Beautiful!” he said. “Simply gorgeous. You’re a natural, MiA.”

“Thanks,” he said, bowing as the crowd applauded. Wow – he’d done that well, hadn’t he? He’d . . . well, surprised himself. This is going to work, he thought. This is really going to work!

And that’s when he saw Yo-ka, and froze.

* * *

Subaru was in MiA’s apartment, sitting on the floor in a lotus position, eyes closed.

Right now, he was in a meditative state, mentally reaching out into Tokyo while his powers were still heightened. Through a sort of astral projection, he could get an idea of the city, of its layout, what it had to offer . . .

He intended to explore it fully when MiA was out modeling. He’d followed proper protocol, asked his master for permission to leave the apartment when he wasn’t there, and received it. He hadn’t always been that lucky. Some masters had flat-out refused permission – thinking that letting the genie roam freely would mean he wouldn’t be available to grant wishes at any time. Others had just ignored the requests.

Subaru had been nearly giddy when MiA had granted his permission. He had been in that bottle way too long – when he was out, he was going to take full advantage of being out. The only time he’d go back in was when MiA would have company – and given how tiny this place was, he surmised that wouldn’t be too often.

He was feeling relaxed and happy – far more than he usually was at this stage, the first wish. That’s because he already knew that MiA was, well, different. Not like any other master he’d ever had.

The genie could usually tell a master’s personality from the nature of the first wish. Usually, the people who found him wished for instant wealth, instant power – and then immediately found out they couldn’t handle it. They then used their other two wishes desperately trying to get out of the messes they made with the first one.

MiA hadn’t wished for anything like that. He’d wished for a glamor career, to be sure, and to be beautiful and admired – but he’d wished for a means to improve his own station in life, to carve out his own way in the world.

MiA didn’t talk to him the way other masters did, either. He was the first to ever ask why he was in the bottle. He was genuinely interested in him as a person and didn’t treat him as, well, a wish dispensing machine.

There was something about him – a sweetness and gentleness – that reminded Subaru of someone he knew long ago, a man he had loved back in his home land . . . the main reason he knew he couldn’t marry the vizier’s daughter.

Maybe, Subaru thought, he will be the one who will free me. He knew that he could only be freed by his master’s third wish – and that he was forbidden to tell him that. He had to figure it out on his own.

It was said only a “diamond in the rough” could free a bottle slave – a person who proved to have a good, selfless heart when presented with the endless temptation of three wishes. MiA seemed like a person like that – but was he?

Subaru felt a sudden warmth over his entire body. His eyes flew open – and he saw a vision of three candles appear in the air in front of him, all lit. He knew full well what that was – the representation of his master’s three wishes.

The first candle went out. And that meant MiA’s first wish was officially fulfilled. He was now a model.

Subaru felt a tingling over his body as he powered down. He was in “between-wishes” mode now. He could only do little favors for MiA – until the next time the boy uttered the words “I wish.”

“Good for you, MiA,” he whispered. Now it was up to MiA to help himself in the industry, to sink or swim.

As for Subaru, he was going to disguise himself in human clothes, and zap himself into the middle of Shibuya. Nobody would notice a person suddenly appearing in the middle of those hoards. Time to experience this place he’d landed in.

* * *

MiA had never been in the “trendy” bars frequented by the photographers and models and designers before. It was an unwritten rule in the industry that those at the top of the fashion world went to one place – and the assistants and lighting people and publicists and the like went to standard watering holes.

But here he was, at a corner table in a place that was just lit enough for everyone to see each other, drinking from a glass that must have cost more than every bit of glassware in his mother’s place – and sitting across from Yo-ka.

He was trying hard not to stare at the other man’s face. He was just so damn gorgeous – even more so close-up than he’d looked when he’d watched him being photographed from afar.

“So why did you get into this, anyway?” Yo-ka was asking him. “You said you were a photographer.”

“Well, yes,” said MiA. “That’s why I came to Tokyo – I wanted to be a magazine photographer. But, well, it didn’t really end up taking off, and I ended up . . .”

Whoops. Couldn’t tell him he was a photographer’s assistant. He’d ask why he hadn’t seen him on a shoot before – and he couldn’t very well say he was some schlumpy guy he used to see around, could he?

“. . . doing odd jobs here and there. And then, well, this friend of mine decided to come up with a portfolio for me, and I figured I’d see where it would go.”

“It’s going pretty damn good, from what I saw,” Yo-ka said. “Ruki was very impressed with you.”

“Oh, that.” MiA blushed a little. “He said that he definitely wanted me for his next shoot – and he may even use me for Tokyo Fashion Week. I’d have to practice. I’ve never been on a runway.”

“It’s easy,” Yo-ka said. “You just have to walk with long strides and look straight ahead. The important thing is pacing yourself. I was on the runway for Ruki last year.”

“How long have you been at this?” said MiA.

“A few years. I got into it as a joke, really. A friend bet me that I wouldn’t go down to a modeling agency with some pictures. But I did, and they started using me – and kept doing it. And I found out I loved it.”

“When did you know that for sure?” said MiA.

“The moment I saw my face looking back at me from an ad in the subway,” said Yo-ka. “That’s when you knew that everything you did to create the picture – all the working together with the photographers and the stylists and the designer – was worth it.”

MiA nodded. “I wonder if I’ll ever see my face on a subway ad,” he said.

“The rate you’re going? I’ll bet it’ll be sooner rather than later. You’re going to get attention.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re not like other guys in the industry,” Yo-ka said, picking up his glass and swirling the beer. “I could tell just by watching you – you’re not selling your own looks. You’re selling the product – the clothes.”

“You figured that out?” MiA said, blushing a little. “I mean – that’s what I was thinking when I was up there, how best to convey the designer’s intentions.”

“Not enough guys think that way,” said Yo-ka. “They all go into modeling out of ego, or wanting prestige, or wanting to impress a particular person . . .”

MiA suddenly choked on his beer.

Yo-ka leaned over. “Are you all right?”

“Y-yes,” MiA said, thumping his chest. “Just went down the wrong way.”

“But, anyway – you are actually thinking about the big picture. Probably because you’re a photographer yourself.”

“Y-yes,” MiA said, swallowing hard, still not quite recovered from the choking. “In fact, I’m hoping that being a model will make me a better photographer.” And nice to have that line left over from his interview with the agency – it certainly came in handy here.

“You’re really cute, you know that? In every way possible.”

MiA looked down. “I never really thought of myself that way before,” he said.

“Too serious an artiste?”

He looked up at Yo-ka and smiled. “Sort of.” More like “too frumpy before I met a genie,” but he certainly wasn’t going to say that.

Yo-ka leaned over and put his hand over MiA’s. “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “You keep my artistic integrity up, and I’ll show you how to have fun. How’s that?”

A broad smile crossed MiA’s face. “It’s a deal,” he said.

His heart felt lighter than he could ever remember it feeling. Was he going to get what he had really wished for – the wish that the genie was forbidden to grant him?

* * *

MiA just about floated up to his apartment on a cloud. He alighted from the taxi that Yo-ka had put him into, paid the driver and pulled out his phone.

A message from the agency. It seemed that Ruki was so impressed with the shoot that he’d called another designer, Mana. “You’ve been requested for a Moi-meme-Moitie 

shoot next week. Call us in the morning.”

This was just getting more and more wonderfully surreal. He was humming to himself when he opened the apartment door – to find Subaru sitting on the floor, a bag in front of him.

“Hi,” he said. “Want an onigiri? I just came from the conbini.”

MiA looked puzzled. “You have money?”

“I can create it as I need it,” Subaru said. “But never mind that – how was today?”

“Wonderful,” said MiA. “Fabulous. Marvelous. They loved me, Subaru! They absolutely loved me! Thank you, thank you, thank you . . .”

“I already told you – no need to thank me. I fulfilled your wish.”

“I have another assignment already! With another big-name designer! And . . . and . . . I got asked out for drinks by Yo-ka! We went after we were done shooting.”

“Yo-ka? Is that the guy you had your eye on?”

“Yes! He’s so sweet – and we’re having dinner together tomorrow. Oh, my God.” He sank into a chair. “I can’t believe you made this all happen!”

“You made it happen,” Subaru said, softly. “All I did was fix you up so you’d be pretty and set up the first assignment. The rest of it is all you. It came from . . . here.” He reached out and touched MiA’s heart. “It was in you all along. You just needed the confidence to bring it out.”

“You gave me the confidence,” MiA said. “Oh, my God, I still think I’m dreaming.”

“If you are, it’s a long dream.” Subaru snapped his fingers, and MiA’s futon floated out of the closet. “You do need to eat something – and then get some rest. Models need their beauty sleep.”

“I will.” He reached for the bag of onigiri. “Subaru – do you sleep?”

“I don’t really need to,” he said. “At least, not fully sleep. I go into a meditative state when you’re sleeping.”

MiA nodded, suddenly realizing he was hungrier than he thought when he started to eat. “I’ll sleep after this – I promise.”

“Tomorrow’s another day,” Subaru said. “A new day in your new life.”

MiA couldn’t agree with that more. New life? This was a whole new world.

* * *

The week between the Black Moral and Moi-meme-Moittie shoots passed in a blur – mainly because MiA was busy. He got called on to pinch hit for another last-minute-dropout model – this shoot wasn’t as prestigious as Black Moral, but it definitely added to his portfolio.

He had dinner with Yo-ka, and then, two nights later, drinks again. He was finding out that his crush was a hell of a lot more than a pretty face. Yo-ka had ideas of his own regarding the fashion industry.

“I want my own boutique when I’m done with modeling,” he said. “Well, not so much a boutique as a brand. I want to hire the designers and the models and do all the marketing – you know, come up with all the concepts.”

“Sounds exciting,” said MiA.

“And I’d hire you as a model, of course.”

“If you’re retired from the industry, I’d probably be retired, too.”

“Then you’ll be my head photographer. And you’ll have input in choosing the models.”

With every meeting, the two got more comfortable with one another, talking more casually – and flirting more. At their last drinks date before the Mana shoot, Yo-ka leaned over to give MiA a small kiss as they left.

“Keep this up,” he whispered, “and you’ll get a private tour of my apartment next.”

MiA’s heart sped up. “I’d like that,” he whispered back.

“Call me when you’re done with the Moi-meme-Moittie shoot. I’ll come pick you up, we’ll have dinner, and . . . who knows?”

“I certainly hope to find out.” His head was spinning, swimming. Oh, God. He couldn’t dwell on this, he had to focus on the shoot, on being as good a model for Mana as he was for Ruki. But he’d just been invited to spend the night with the one man on the planet he most wanted to spend the night with.

Dream? This was more like an ecstatic reverie at this point.

* * *

The shoot had a very different rhythm than the first one. This was elegant Gothic aristocrat wear, as opposed to the funky casual of Black Moral. Which meant everything was, well, darker, slower, and more serious.

MiA adjusted to it very well. He just studied the clothes before he put them on, thought about what they were trying to convey, and then took that attitude while the cameras were clicking.

He’d gotten into this to impress Yo-ka, to be sure – but he was beginning to realize that he liked modeling. Liked it a lot. In fact, it was fairly accurate to say he was falling in love with his new career.

Did it have something to do with the magic? No, Subaru had said that nothing other than MiA’s outward appearance and his first assignment was his doing. And yet, he felt like something had changed in him, from the inside out.

When he was done, everyone rushed over to congratulate him – including the designer. “Wonderful,” Mana said. “I can see why Ruki spoke so highly of you.”

“I’m just trying my best,” MiA said with a bow.

“You’ll be working with us again,” the designer said. “I’ll promise you that.”

MiA rushed over to the dressing trailer afterward, nearly breathless with excitement. He pulled out his phone to call Yo-ka. “I’m done,” he said. “I’m getting changed now.”

“How did it go?”

“Fantastic. The clothes were kind of heavy and a bit hot under the lights, but overall? I enjoyed it. And the designer loved me!”

“Well, come over to my place and we’ll celebrate, then.”

Oh, God. MiA’s heart started fluttering in his chest. This was it. He was going to find out what Yo-ka was like in bed. It was what he’d hoped for, waited for, fantasized about. There was a small moment of panic – what if he was too nervous to, well, do anything? What if the damn magic did a Cinderella thing and melted away at the stroke of midnight and he turned back into frumpy Shouya again? What if . . .

Okay, it was time to get hold of himself. He was being silly. “I’m coming,” he said – and then, quickly, he added, “I mean, I’ll be there.”

Yo-ka laughed. “You really are cute, aren’t you? Okay, just let me know where you are right now.”

By the time MiA hung up the phone and started getting dressed again, the fluttering heart was back. In fact, it was taking off from his chest cavity, diving down to his stomach, flying around in circles like it was on some out-of-control merry-go-round, and then going up to his head and making him dizzy.

He was just going to have to stay upright, wasn’t he? This was the moment he’d waited for.

* * *

Yo-ka came to the shoot in a cab, asked the driver to wait and then collected MiA. When you’d been a supermodel for as long as Yo-ka, MiA thought, you must have the money to do things like that.

“I figure we’ll go back to my apartment and order takeout,” said Yo-ka. “How does that sound?”

“It sounds . . . good. Yes, that’s good,” said MiA. And now the butterfly heart was in his throat, making it hard for him to talk.

Yo-ka squeezed his hand when the car started moving. “I thought about you all day,” he said.

“You did?”

“Yes. I had meetings with the people from Chrome Hearts, I’m going to be the exclusive model for their new campaign. Their stuff would look great on you.”

“Meetings are boring.” Well, that was a brilliant statement.

“They can be,” Yo-ka said. “But this one wasn’t.” He squeezed MiA’s hand harder and whispered, “Because I was thinking about tonight.”

“Yo-ka . . .” MiA squeezed his hand back.

“Were you thinking about it, too?”

“Y-yes . . .”

“Dinner can wait.” Yo-ka moved his hand to MiA’s thigh, rubbing a little . . .

And the cab came to a stop, breaking the mood.

“Oh, here we are.” Yo-ka paid the driver quickly. “Come on – I’m on the 10th floor.”

It was the biggest, most beautiful apartment building MiA had ever been in. A doorman who bowed and held the door open for them, a lobby that seemed carved out of a block of marble, a huge elevator with mirrored walls (MiA glanced into it to make sure he didn’t look too incredibly nervous . . .)

Finally, it pinged to a stop, and the two headed down the hall, Yo-ka pulling out a key. “Here we are,” he said, unlocking the door, pushing it open and turning on a light.

MiA stepped into a gorgeous, funky, yet tasteful living room – black walls, leather couches and chairs, a huge flat-screen TV against one wall, a gleaming glass table – and his whole apartment could fit in this one room three times over.

“Well?” said Yo-ka. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” MiA said. “I really like it.”

“It’s a good setting for you,” Yo-ka said, wrapping his arms around MiA’s waist. “All that pretty blond hair against the dark walls . . .”

“What if I wasn’t a blond?” said MiA, wrapping his own arms around Yo-ka, bringing his face close to the other man’s . . .

“Then I’d have to change my walls to fit your new hair, wouldn’t I?” said Yo-ka.

He closed the distance, slowly, and those butterflies inside MiA were beating their wings against his ribcage, furiously . . .

And then, they were kissing. Soft and tender at first, a gentle touch of lips on lips, MiA pressing his face closer against Yo-kas. Their mouths opened, and they pressed deeper, and harder, tongues reaching for each other.

MiA pressed his body against the other man’s, everything in the world seeming hot and wet right now as they explored each other’s mouths. Hands began to roam as well, moving over shoulders, backs, anywhere they could touch . . .

Yo-ka eased away from MiA, taking his hand and leading him down the hall, opening a door to reveal a huge bed covered in plush-looking red fabric, with pillar candles on the nighttable – which Yo-ka immediately went over to light.

Now MiA was frozen to the spot. He wasn’t a virgin – but it had been so long since he’d had a boyfriend that he’d forgotten how to do it. Did he get undressed? Did he wait for Yo-ka? Did he . . .

He decided to go on impulse. He shed his clothes quickly, dropping them on a nearby chair – and then had a last-second blast of self-consciousness. He pulled up the edge of the bedspread and ducked under it, so only his head was poking out.

Yo-ka turned around – to see MiA waiting for him, so inviting, and at the same time, so sweetly shy. “Well, hi,” he said. “Is this for me?”

“Yes.” But he didn’t push the bedspread back – yet.

“I’ll have to go get it, then,” Yo-ka said, stepping back from the bed and reaching for his own buttons. MiA raised his head, eyes opening wide as the other man started to undress . . .

He was even more gorgeous than he thought he’d be. His eyes ran over and over the sculpted torso with six-pack abs – it was obvious that Yo-ka had put in time at the gym. And then his pants were unzipped, and came down . . .

His cock was magnificent. Not massively huge, but just big enough, and beautifully shaped. MiA felt hot all over just from the sight of it. His ass pushed forward slightly as he imagined that thing inside him, plundering him . . .

Yo-ka moved over to the side of the bed, grabbed the bedspread and pulled it back with one swift yank. MiA was exposed to his new lover’s gaze, and at first he wanted to shrink from it.

Then, Yo-ka’s hand moved down his body, slowly, the fingers barely skimming the skin, passing over his torso, then down to his thigh, which he squeezed and caressed. “Oh, MiA,” Yo-ka said, breathlessly. “MiA, you’re amazing.”

MiA shifted, and then Yo-ka was on the bed next to him, and then they were in each other’s arms, kissing hard and wet, pressing naked flesh on naked flesh. MiA opened his lips, pushing his tongue against Yo-ka’s, running his hand down his side.

They rolled over together so Yo-ka was on top of MiA, writhing against each other, rubbing their bodies against one another, the friction seeming to strike sparks everywhere.

MiA shuddered, his body feeling like it was on fire, tingling, every nerve ending standing on edge. He was so turned on that his nipples were standing out from his chest as little points that rubbed against Yo-ka’s flesh, just sending another wave of pleasure through the blond model.

Yo-ka suddenly pulled back, propping himself up on his arms, looking down at MiA, breathing heavily, and reaching up to brush hair out of his face. “I can’t believe it,” he said in a husky voice. “I can’t believe how perfect you are.”

And then he leaned over, his tongue touching MiA’s neck, sweeping in a long, wet line down his torso, pausing to circle a nipple, then kiss it. MiA gasped, reaching for the other man’s head.

This just encouraged Yo-ka, who began to suck on the hard bud, mouth encircling it and drawing hard, making MiA groan and shudder. He raised his head, licking slowly over the peak, stroking his tongue back and forth, before sucking again.

He began to move lower, leaving a hot, wet trail over the other man’s increasingly heated flesh, licking down over his stomach, then down to his legs . . .

There, Yo-ka paused, his hands caressing MiA’s thighs, kneading them, tracing patterns on the flesh. “You have the most gorgeous legs I’ve ever seen,” he murmured. And then he was paying homage, kissing his way down a thigh, licking it, nibbling it.

He rubbed the side of his face against the skin, an intimate caress, an act of worship, before tracing circles over it with his tongue, swirling, moving up and down.

“Oh, yes,” MiA breathed, spreading his legs a little, giving Yo-ka access to the sensitive inner part of his thigh – and Yo-ka took full advantage, nipping sharply at a spot that made MiA jump and yelp a little.

“Did I hurt you?” Yo-ka suddenly said, raising his head.

“A little, but . . . it was, well, exciting.”

“I’ll kiss it better,” Yo-ka said, breathlessly, leaning over and doing just that, kissing over and over the spot, brushing it with his tongue . . .

And then, without warning, the tongue swept upward rapidly, until it was rubbing lightly over MiA’s balls. He arched forward with a gasp. “Oh! Oh, Yo-ka . . .”

Yo-ka ran the tip of his tongue upward, until it was touching the base of MiA’s cock, oh, yes, it was moving along the shaft, so hot and wet and wicked, so incredibly delicious. It slid up further still, until it was swirling along the tip.

MiA raised his head and looked down. This wasn’t a dream or a fantasy, that was Yo-ka between his legs, Yo-ka pleasuring him, Yo-ka’s tongue sliding back and forth over the head of his erection. Oh, God.

Yo-ka raised his head, and moved back up, laying full-length atop MiA again. They kissed fiercely, MiA wrapping one leg around Yo-ka’s hip, shifting his hips so their cocks would rub together.

When they did, they began to grind against one another, hard, both sets of hips churning, their shafts sliding against one another, both men moaning at the feel of something so delicious and hard and wonderfully MALE.

They rolled over again, so MiA was on top this time, and he shifted so that he could reach Yo-ka’s chest with his mouth, tracing the defined muscles with his tongue, memorizing the shape of his new lover’s torso, the smoothness of his skin, the salty tang of his taste.

He slid upward, hitting a nipple, and he circled it over and over, rubbing against it, feeling how hard the peak was, putting his lips around it and sucking, feeling Yo-ka shudder beneath him.

“Your body is so beautiful,” MiA murmured. “Every bit of it.” He moved down further, over the flat belly, caressing it with hands and tongue . . . until he came to that gorgeous cock.

MiA opened his lips, sliding the head in, running his tongue around it. Yo-ka let out a delicious moan that was the sweetest music MiA ever heard. He opened wider, slid down further . . .

Oh, he felt even better than he thought he would. So hard, so nicely shaped – almost as if made to fit MiA’s mouth. It glided through his lips and tongue, filling and filling him, overwhelming him with musky scent and taste.

MiA raised his head, kissing the tip. “I want this in me,” he said.

“Tell me how,” Yo-ka murmured.

“Deep in my ass.” In the heat of passion, MiA felt bold, much bolder than he did in everyday life. “With you behind me, and . . .”

He raised his head. He saw his own reflection looking back at him. There was a mirror on the wall opposite the bed. “And me on my hands and knees so we can see the mirror,” MiA said. “I want to watch you fucking me.”

“Oh, yes,” Yo-ka breathed. “Get on your hands and knees, baby.”

MiA was reluctant to roll off Yo-ka, but he did, positioning himself on all fours in front of the mirror, moving his legs apart, opening his ass for this man, offering himself completely. He looked over his shoulder to see his new lover rummaging in the nighttable drawer, coming up with a bottle of lube and package of condoms. Yo-ka poured lube over his fingers, bringing one to MiA’s entrance.

MiA gasped as he felt the penetration. God, even his fingers felt good, tapering and long, sliding in and out of him, moving and wriggling around, stimulating different pleasure spots.

He found himself pushing backward against the invasion, trying to push it in deeper, Yo-ka murmuring, “Look at how eager you are, God, you can’t wait to be fucked, can you?”

“No,” MiA moaned. “Please, give me more . . .”

Yo-ka slid the second finger in. “That’s it,” he said as he moved the fingers in and out. “Relax and open up for me. I’m going to give you everything you want.”

MiA thrust against the fingers again, moaning as they moved inside him, stretching him, stimulating him. There was a little pain as the third one entered, but he just breathed deeply, willing himself to open up faster, wanting to be ready for that cock.

The fingers slid out, and MiA watched Yo-ka tear the condom packet, rolling it on and lubing it quickly. He felt more of the lube poured into his own cleft.

And then, he watched as Yo-ka knelt behind him, that perfect torso on full display in the mirror, the solidness of his erection pressing against MiA’s entrance.

“Ready?” said Yo-ka.

“More than I’ve ever been,” MiA said.

Yo-ka pushed forward, and MiA felt himself being filled, that glorious thing pushing into his ass, and he gripped the bed under him . . . oh, God, it was intense, pain and pleasure and fullness and the sensation of Yo-ka’s strong hands gripping his hips.

“Oh, you feel good,” Yo-ka moaned. “You’re so damn tight.”

MiA could only moan. He opened his eyes, looking at the sight in front of him . . . there was himself, flushed with pleasure, on all fours, offering himself up like a gift, and there was Yo-ka, sculpted torso streaked with sweat as he started a slow, gentle thrust.

It seemed to be caressing him from within, creating a slow, tingling warmth that radiated from his core through his whole body. “Yes,” MiA moaned. “Oh, Yo-ka, it’s so good . . .”

“Mmmm . . .” Yo-ka began to speed up, thrusting faster, harder, deeper. “Oh, fuck, look at you, look at how gorgeous . . .”

MiA’s eyes were glued to the mirror, watching Yo-ka’s hips pump as he felt the thrusting inside, looking at glistening beads of sweat running down that chest, and his face, oh, yes, Yo-ka’s beautiful face, wearing an expression of total bliss, the eyes at half-mast, the lips parted, his tongue coming out to lick at them.

“More,” MiA whispered. “Please . . .”

And then Yo-ka was thrusting hard and fast, pumping in and out of MiA, who gripped the bed beneath him, moaning and moaning . . . it was good, almost too good, the tingling sensations inside him now hot waves that threatened to set the bed on fire. He thrust back against his lover to the same rhythm, watching and watching them in the glass.

Yo-ka’s hand reached down and around, and suddenly, he was grabbing MiA’s cock, stroking him quickly, and MiA moaned louder, thinking that he was going to explode, the pleasure and the heat were overwhelming him, he was nothing but a ball of pure sensation now . . .

A stroke of his lover’s thumb over the tip sent him over the edge. MiA let out a cry that was nearly a scream. He thrust back, then forward, his body shuddering as the pleasure shot through him in long, long waves, as hot wetness poured over Yo-ka’s fingers.

MiA sank to the bed, a trembling mass of emotion, feeling Yo-ka grip his hips again, and thrust harder, faster, until he let out his own loud cry, pushing hard into MiA one last time as he let himself go.

He tumbled to the bed next to MiA and they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing passionately. MiA snuggled against Yo-ka, breathing deeply. He couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before, after sex or anytime else. It was just so peaceful, and warm, and totally relaxed.

“Mmm,” Yo-ka said, holding him tighter. “You’re just incredible.”

“So are you,” MiA murmured.

“I’m definitely glad you came over tonight,” Yo-ka said. “And you’re not going anywhere anytime soon, you know that? We’re not moving from this bedroom.”

MiA raised his head. “We may have to go into the bathroom sometimes.”

“Well, yes. But then, right back to bed.” He kissed MiA’s neck. “God, it’s almost a shame you have to wear clothes, you’re so gorgeous like this.”

“I can’t be a model naked,” MiA laughed. “That would defeat the purpose.”

“Well, then, I’ll just have to see you like this when you’re with me, won’t I?”

“I could say the same for you,” said MiA.

They laughed and kissed. And for the rest of the night, they did, indeed, not stray far from the bedroom. MiA got the tour of the rest of the apartment, to be sure, and they finally got the takeout – Yo-ka put on a yukata just long enough to pay for it, then they ate it naked together on the living room floor. At one point, there was a shared shower.

But for the rest of the time, they were on that bed, exploring each other, bringing each other to peaks of ecstasy, sleeping when they finally reached exhaustion – and even then, they were clinging tightly to one another.

MiA’s official wish might have been to become a model – but he’d finally gotten what he’d really wished for.

* * *

The next few weeks passed like a magic carpet ride – constantly moving at breakneck speed, and always exhilarating.

MiA was in demand after the Ruki and Mana shoots. The Swan Agency soon became the most-frequently-used contact on his phone, as they would call him when he was shooting or otherwise occupied and he’d have to call back. Sexpot Revenge, h. Naoto, Civarize, they all wanted him, and he slotted them all in.

When he wasn’t before the cameras, and their schedules both allowed it, he was with Yo-ka. Usually it was a post-shoot dinner, followed by making love. Once, when they were able to get together in the late afternoon, they explored Harajuku together and had crepes. Another time, they went to a club – even though MiA insisted that he wasn’t much of a dancer.

There was one other thing that MiA always made sure he fit in his schedule, though, no matter how busy he was – he spent quality time with Subaru.

It wasn’t just out of gratitude for doing all this for him – even though he was definitely grateful. It was that he genuinely liked the genie. There was just something about his constant sunniness – despite the circumstances of his life.

“You just have to deal with whatever fate gives you, you know?” Subaru said as the two of them walked through Shinjuku. “What happened to me was terrible – but I deal with it the best I can. That’s why I go around and explore whenever my master isn’t around.”

“Have you always been able to do that?” MiA said.

“When I’ve been given permission to do so – like you did. And it’s always with the understanding that I will come as soon as the master needs me – no questions asked. Bottle slaves can usually sense when we’re needed. Especially if it’s a wish.”

“I haven’t even thought about my second wish yet,” MiA said. “I haven’t had time.”

“Take your time,” said Subaru. “You don’t have an expiration date on them – and you only get three, remember.”

“Yes, I know,” MiA said. And he knew full well what happened after the third wish – Subaru would get sucked back into his bottle, the bottle would vanish, and he’d never see him again. He didn’t want that to happen.

Of course, he could use the third wish to free him, right? But . . . then Subaru would probably go back to the world of the Djinn, and he’d never see him again then, either.

The two of them paused in front of a shop where an artisan was displaying traditional crafts – beautifully carved and decorated wooden boxes, sake bottles and cups made from wood.

“Look at this stuff,” said Subaru, his eyes darting over the items. “Just look at it! People made this with their own hands. No magic at all! It’s amazing!” He leaned closer. “I know my people don’t like humans, think they’re selfish jerks, but . . . if people can make things like this, and create buildings, and make cars run – they really can’t be all bad, right?” He looked at MiA, smiling brightly. “Well, okay, most of the masters I’ve had until now have been selfish jerks. But not the people who made this stuff!”

Yes, Subaru was a ray of sunshine in MiA’s life, and he was going to keep that sunshine around for quite awhile longer. He was in no rush to make that second wish.

* * *

As it so happened, when the second wish came, it was pretty much by accident.

MiA was making money now – more than double than what he’d been getting as a photographer’s assistant. He just kept putting it in the bank – he knew he should be house-hunting, but he didn’t have time. What time didn’t go to modeling went to Yo-ka and Subaru.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t buying things, though – mostly clothes and shoes. And he was rapidly running out of space to put it.

It was late in the evening, right before his bedtime. He was tired – he’d been shooting all day, into the night. And he was trying to rearrange his closet yet again. Subaru was sitting on the table, cross-legged, looking at the iPad that was another of MiA’s recent purchases.

“This is getting annoying as hell,” MiA murmured. “I wish I had a bigger apartment.”

And then, the air suddenly got very still. Subaru suddenly dropped the iPad and sprang to his feet. The genie felt a surge through his whole body – he was at full power again.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, MiA came fully awake. Oh, no, he thought. He’d been so careful not to pronounce things like that, to never say “I wish” even in the most casual of situations. And because he was half-asleep, he’d blown it.

“No,” he said. “No, wait . . .”

“You made a wish,” Subaru said.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“As soon as you say it like that? It’s a wish. And I have to fulfill it. Your wish is my command.”

“But . . . but . . .” Oh, no. He was panicking now. He’d blown the second wish. He had wished for something . . . trivial, in the long run. And . . . and he was one step closer to losing Subaru, one way or the other.

“It’s a good thing I was looking at architectural magazines the other day,” said Subaru. He raised his hand, and snapped his fingers . . .

The entire world whirled around MiA. No, he didn’t want this, not really! Okay, he wanted more space to live, sure, but not at the expense of a wish, not at the expense of more time with Subaru . . .

Everything settled down. He blinked. He was in . . .

A palace. That’s the only way it could be described. He was standing in a living room with beautiful, elegant furniture, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a curving staircase leading to a second floor.

He whirled around. Subaru was standing in the corner, smiling. “Welcome home,” he said.

“Subaru, what is this place?”

“It’s a building in Roppongi that had some unused apartments. I just joined them together and made them one unit.”

“How did you . . .”

“As soon as you make a wish? I can find out these things. Quickly. Go ahead – take a look around. It’s a replica of a famous apartment. There’s even an indoor pool.”

Slowly, MiA began to walk through the apartment. There was a hall from the living room that led to a series of other rooms. A gorgeous kitchen, all gleaming metal and state-of-the-art appliances . . . a den, with a flat-screen TV so huge it took up nearly the entire wall and a theater-quality sound system . . . a couple of bedrooms, one of which had Subaru’s bottle sitting on the dresser . . .

“I’m going to be staying in that room,” Subaru said.

“Is the other one mine?” MiA said.

Subaru shook his head. “Yours is upstairs – that’s where the staircase is going to. It’s the master bedroom.”

MiA went up the stairs, to find a set of double doors. He paused, pushed on them – and beheld the most gorgeous room he’d ever seen in his life.

The walls were a dark red, the furniture mahogany. The windows were floor-to-ceiling, with white curtains. And the bed was massive, covered in elegant black silk, with a big mirror on the wall opposite it – reminding him of the mirror in Yo-ka’s place.

There was even a fireplace. A FIREPLACE. It was a room designed for romance on every level.

One door revealed a massive walk-in closet – with the clothes he couldn’t fit into his old place neatly on racks. There was a ton of room left over. Another led to a bathroom just about as big as his whole old place – gleaming gold fixtures, marble walls and sink. . . . at one end, a round, sunken tub that looked like it had Jacuzzi jets, at the other, a massive shower that could easily accommodate two – or more.

Subaru appeared in the doorway. “Well?”

MiA turned around, slowly. “Subaru . . . I’m speechless.”

“You wished for it,” Subaru said. “And it’s the kind of place where you can be comfortable – and happy.”

“But how is this legally mine?”

“Mind tricks. The same way I got you your modeling contract, remember? The landlord thinks this complex was here all along, and you bought it fair and square. There’s even a deed with your name on it in the bureau drawer over there.”

MiA walked to the bureau – and sure enough, Subaru was right. There was his name on the legal deed to this place. “Oh . . . my . . . God . . .”

“All your stuff that was in the old place is here,” said Subaru. “Your pots and pans, clothes, toothbrush, everything. You’ll find it all.” He hugged him. “And I hope you’re happy – this is exactly the kind of place I see you in.”

“It’s beautiful, Subaru.” MiA hugged him back. “It really is.”

And it was beautiful, all right. It was . . . all he could wish for, and more, really. But what good would it do him in the long run if it cost him time with Subaru?

* * *

He still hadn’t explored all of his own place fully when he got a call from Yo-ka as he was getting in from work – a meeting with a company that wanted him to do a billboard ad. Him – on a billboard ad.

“Hi,” Yo-ka said. “Are you free tonight?”

“Yes. I just got back from a meeting,” MiA said. “What about you?”

“I just had a quick shoot in the morning, so I’m free right now. And hey, don’t take this the wrong way, but . . .well, I haven’t seen your place yet.”

“You . . . you want me to invite you over?” A small moment of panic – he didn’t even know the address of this place!

“If that’s okay with you,” said Yo-ka. “If not, we could always go to my . . .”

Subaru suddenly appeared in the doorway – and snapped his fingers. Glowing words suddenly appeared in the air, spelling out the address of the building and the floor number.

“N-no, here’s my address.” MiA read off the glowing letters.

“Wow, nice neighborhood,” said Yo-ka. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few.”

MiA hung up the phone, looking rather dazed. “He’s coming here,” he said.

“Wonderful!” said Subaru. “I’ll go back in the bottle while he’s . . .”

“No, Subaru. You don’t have to do that. Really.”

“I shouldn’t be in the way while you’re having a romantic evening, should I?”

“But . . . but I don’t want you to be in there,” MiA said. “You spent too much time in that bottle.”

“It’s what bottle slaves do when their masters need them to get scarce.”

“Subaru . . .” MiA shot out an arm and grabbed the genie’s wrist. “You’re not a slave to me. You’re . . . you’re my friend.”

“I am?” Subaru looked momentarily stunned.

“Yes, you are. Look – if you insist on staying out of the way, maybe you can go in your room instead? I’ll just keep Yo-ka away from the back of the apartment.”

“You can always show him the pool, you know.”

“The pool?” MiA had forgotten the place even had one. “Oh, God, I haven’t even seen the pool!”

“Second door off the living room,” Subaru said. “Right across from the den.”

MiA went to the door Subaru indicated, opened it . . . and gasped.

His eyes had to be deceiving him. He wasn’t seeing . . . what he thought he was seeing, was he? No, he was. He was looking straight at THAT POOL. There was no mistaking the sloping, windowed ceiling.

Subaru had given him a duplicate of the most notorious pool in Japan, one that had been used in innumerable porn shoots.

MiA whirled around. “Subaru, this is . . .”

“Isn’t it great? I saw it in a book – I was sitting on the floor of Book-Off just looking through one book after another. They had pictures of the layout of the whole apartment. The book said the pool was famous for something – I didn’t get to see what, because a salesguy came along and asked me very politely to get off the floor.”

“But Subaru, what this pool is famous for is . . .”

At that moment, the doorbell rang. MiA froze. Oh, no, Yo-ka was here – no time to ask Subaru to change it. “He’s . . .”

“Yes, he’s here. Go answer the door!” Subaru leaned over and gave MiA a kiss on the cheek. “Have fun!” He snapped his fingers and vanished.

Subaru made his way to the door, slowly. He opened it – and there stood Yo-ka, looking as breathtaking as ever, dressed in jeans, a black shirt and a leather jacket. “Hi,” he said, bending over to give MiA a kiss and then stepped into the foyer, taking off his shoes. “You’re really living in a nice . . .”

He stepped into the living room proper, and MiA watched Yo-ka’s eyes grow huge as he turned around, slowly, trying to take everything in.

“My God,” he said. “MiA . . . this place is amazing! How did you . . .”

“Um, a lucky inheritance?” Well, he couldn’t very well tell him “accidental second wish from a genie,” could he?

“It’s gorgeous. Simply amazing!” He gave the blond a sly smile. “You should have invited me here before!”

“I just got done moving in,” MiA said.

“You didn’t tell me you were moving.” Yo-ka wandered toward the hallway.

“I wanted to surprise you with this place when I was done,” MiA said. “Only you asked me to invite you before I could.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Yo-ka said – and then spotted the still-open door in the hallway. “Oh, my God, does this go to a POOL?”

MiA felt a small panic rising up in him. “You really shouldn’t go in . . .”

Too late – Yo-ka was in the room, and looking at it. Oh, no, MiA thought. Now I won’t be able to have it changed – he’s seen it.

“Um, this isn’t THAT apartment! Really!” MiA said, rushing into the room behind him. “It’s just, well, it was designed by the same architect, and . . .”

Yo-ka turned toward him, a wide smile on his face. “You know how to make a man’s fantasies come true, don’t you. Do you know how hot it would be . . .” He approached MiA, slowly. “You and me . . .” He put his fingers under MiA’s chin and tipped it upward. “Starring in our own private porno?”

“I . . .” He reached out and clung to Yo-ka’s arms, and suddenly his lover was closing the distance between them, and they were kissing – softly and gently, then with more heat. MiA wrapped his arms around Yo-ka, pulling him closer, pushing his tongue toward the other man’s.

Yo-ka eased back, took off his jacket and tossed it on one of the poolside chairs. “Or, we could just go skinny dipping,” he said. “Which sounds like a fun idea.”

“Um . . .” MiA was going to reply, but Yo-ka was already half undressed, his shirt landing on the chair next to his shirt, his pants coming down next. Well, the best thing to do was play along, right? MiA quickly began to strip off his own clothes – then moved over to close the door. He knew the only other person in there was Subaru, and the genie was well-concealed – but it made him feel better anyway.

“Race you to the water!” Yo-ka said, and splashed in – so MiA tumbled in right after, the two of them swimming toward each other, laughing. Yo-ka splashed MiA, and MiA splashed back, then swam away from Yo-ka playfully.

“Oh, no, you’re not going to get away from me that easily!” Yo-ka swam after MiA, MiA laughing and putting on a burst of speed – until Yo-ka tackled him, grabbing him around the waist and yelling, “Gotcha!” Both men tumbled under the surface of the water, and came back up, still laughing.

They leaned toward each other – they were in the shallow end now, so they could stand up – and kept leaning until their lips were mere centimeters apart. They remained that way for a long moment, breathing in each other, each daring the other to make the first move.

MiA finally closed the distance, and suddenly their mouths were pressed together, their lips parting almost instantly, tongues sliding against one another, then pulling back, rubbing just the tips against one another, as if reluctant to break apart completely.

The two clung to each other, kissing hotly, and Yo-ka pushed MiA against the wall of the pool, rubbing against him, their cocks pressing together. MiA leaned his head back, gasping, Yo-ka starting to nibble his way down his neck . . .

And then, Yo-ka saw something out of the corner of his eye. He raised his head. “Well, what’s this?” he said in a teasing tone.

MiA looked puzzled. “What’s . . . what?”

“Seems you anticipated us using the room for . . .” He leaned his head against MiA’s. “Its most famous purpose. Or, rather, its lookalike’s most famous purpose.”

MiA slowly shifted his eyes to the foot of the pool, where Yo-ka had been looking, and let out a small gasp. There was a basket – the type that usually held toiletries in nicer hotels – sitting on top of a chaise lounge. Sticking out of it were a couple of bottles of liquid lube, a box of condoms, and what looked like wrapped sheets of latex. Dental dams, he thought.

“I . . . I . . .” Oh, God – he didn’t put them there! He couldn’t have! Which meant only one thing – Subaru did it.

“Well, if those things are there, we’ll just have to use them, won’t we?” Yo-ka pulled himself over to the steps in one graceful motion, started to climb out, and held out his hand to MiA.

MiA took it, letting himself be guided out of the water, onto the lounge, still not quite believing what was happening. First the porn pool, now this. His “whole new world” was starting to become a surprise-behind-every-door Wonderland.

Yo-ka pulled him into his arms, and they were kissing hard again, MiA’s hand sliding down his lover’s body. He couldn’t get enough of how he felt, the sensation of hard, taut muscle under smooth skin, punctuated by the stiff peaks of his nipples. His fingers flicked over one, rubbing back and forth until Yo-ka let out a moan.

“You love sex so much,” Yo-ka murmured. “You’re so hot in every way . . .” He began to run a hand along MiA’s thigh, caressing the sensitive flesh. “Were you this way with all your boyfriends?”

The truth was that MiA hadn’t had many boyfriends before – frumpy Shouya hadn’t exactly been a man magnet. But he couldn’t tell Yo-ka that. So instead, he whispered, “No – because I’ve never met a man like you before,” and punctuated it with a gentle squeeze of his nipple.

Yo-ka let out a loud moan – and suddenly, MiA found himself rolled over onto his stomach on the chaise. He pulled his knees up so his ass was sticking up in the air, and Yo-ka lowered his head to it, kissing the curve, running his hands over it, then up MiA’s back to his shoulders, then back down again. MiA arched his back upward, like a cat being petted.

“I know what you want,” Yo-ka murmured. “I could tell from what you put in that basket.” He swatted MiA’s ass lightly, and MiA let out a small yelp. “And I’m going to give it to you. Just relax, it’s going to feel so good . . .”

MiA relaxed – but he was curious. What was in that basket that might indicate there was something specific that he wanted? He heard Yo-ka opening a bottle, and suddenly felt lube being poured into his cleft.

What was this? MiA arched upward. He couldn’t be taking him right away – could he? Not without the proper preparation! A shiver of nerves passed through him . . .

Only to quickly go away when he felt what seemed to be a piece of plastic being spread over his bottom. Yo-ka’s hands gently parted his cheeks, and MiA could feel hot breath through the dental dam.

And then there was the sensation of something soft and strong at the same time pressing against his entrance, moving back and forth, wriggling, then circling the little hole. It began to push inside him, wriggled around a little, then pulled back out.

Oh, GOD. It was Yo-ka’s tongue. He was being rimmed. Nobody had ever done that to him before. He’d never even thought much about it. But now . . . oh, it felt so amazing, the way that hot, wet thing seemed to dance inside him, moving this way and that, then pulling out again, circling the hole, flicking back and forth over it, teasing him.

Then, it pushed into him again, harder this time, and began to thrust, tongue-fucking him, curling around on the instroke, rubbing against sensitive bundles of nerves.

MiA pressed his clenched fist against his mouth, moaning so loudly he was sure it was shaking the walls. This was like nothing he’d ever felt, so hot and sexy and naughty and forbidden . . .

Yo-ka pulled out, only to kiss along the curve of MiA’s ass, nibbling at the firm flesh – and then plunging his tongue in again, deep and hard, rubbing and curling and curving. MiA was starting to thrust against him, fucking himself on that tongue, panting and moaning and calling Yo-ka’s name, thinking he was going to burst into flame any second. He felt a throbbing deep inside him, and his whole body was tightening, trembling on the verge of ecstasy.

All Yo-ka had to do was brush his fingers lightly over MiA’s erection, and that was all he needed. He let out a keening cry as he released himself in long, pulsing waves.

The tongue slid out of him and Yo-ka pulled the dental dam away. MiA just sank down to the chaise, panting, completely spent. Yo-ka nuzzled him, kissing his neck. “You okay?” he whispered.

“Ohh . . . “ MiA was still having a hard time forming coherent thoughts. “Yes . . . it was just that I came so hard, that was so good . . .”

“You felt so good when I was doing that, your ass is so tight and hot,” Yo-ka murmured, kissing his neck. “I can’t get enough of you, you know that?”

MiA raised his head, slowly. “Yo-ka, you didn’t get anything. I mean, you didn’t come.”

“That’s all right.”

“No, it isn’t.” MiA sat up, looking around for the cushion at the head of the chaise. He grabbed it and dropped it on the floor, in front of Yo-ka, kneeling on it. He pushed his lover’s legs apart and leaned over, so his face was next to his erection.

Beautiful . . . like his cock always was. MiA bent over, starting to kiss his way slowly up the shaft, thinking it felt so very good against his lips, the skin so hot and hard . . . his tongue came out and began to trace the ridges, running along a vein, exploring the shape of it.

He caressed the tip of it, licking slow circles around the head, hearing Yo-ka’s long, low moan, feeling hands tangling in his hair. MiA’s lips opened, wrapping around the crown of this lovely thing, and he sucked, gently.

Oh, he loved this – the intimacy of this act, the heady scent and taste, the feel of his mouth being slowly plundered, invaded as he slid down, little by little, taking more and more of the cock in.

This was almost as much for his own pleasure as it was for Yo-ka’s.

MiA sucked firmly, starting to move his head down, then back, the cock sliding between soft, wet, eager lips, Yo-ka’s moans getting louder, his fingers tangling more in MiA’s hair. “That’s it,” Yo-ka murmured, “suck me hard, it feels so good, I love fucking your pretty mouth . . .”

The blond shifted his position a bit, so he could take Yo-ka deeper, moving his head faster and harder, his fingers working on the very base of his hardness, caressing it firmly, feeling Yo-ka’s body start to tremble beneath him.

“Oh,” Yo-ka moaned. “MiA, it’s happening, I’m coming . . .”

He cried out, and MiA pulled back, Yo-ka’s come shooting onto his face, running down his cheeks – and his tongue came out, licking at it. It was a very welcome mess indeed.

MiA moved up so he could wrap his arms around Yo-ka, and the two of them kissed, not caring they were getting Yo-kas come all over both of them.

“You never cease to amaze me,” Yo-ka said, breathlessly.

“I could say the same thing about you,” said MiA, “I really haven’t ever met a man like you. You’re so sweet, and so sexy, and . . .” He dropped his head onto Yo-ka’s shoulder. “You just make me feel so good. On all levels.”

“I’m going to tell you something, MiA,” Yo-ka said. “When I first met you? I’d lost interest in modeling. It was like the fire had gone out. It was just somewhere I went every day to make money. And then, well, I met you.” He gently stroked MiA’s face. “You gave me my fire back.”

MiA covered his lover’s hand with his. “Yo-ka . . .”

“So, yeah . . . I guess when we make love like this, I’m kind of giving the fire back to you.” He leaned his forehead against MiA’s. “Plus, there’s the fact that you’re so beautiful and sexy and I just want to touch and taste and feel you over and over.”

MiA wondered what Yo-ka would think if he knew that beauty had been granted to him by a genie. Would he still feel the same way about him? “I . . .I think you’re incredibly beautiful and sexy, too . . .”

“We need to test out that master bedroom of yours, you know,” Yo-ka said.

MiA smiled. “We do.” He looked around. “We should get dressed . . .”

“Why?” said Yo-ka. “We’ll just be taking the clothes off again. Carry them upstairs – you won’t need clothes until morning.”

MiA laughed. “You’ve got a deal,” he said.

This was something he could more than live with. Not wear clothes tonight? When it came to Yo-ka, he didn’t care if he never wore clothes again – just as long as Yo-ka could be as naked as him.

* * *

In the back bedroom that he had claimed as his own, Subaru lay on his back on the bed, arms up over his head. A flat piece of glowing glass hovered in the air over his face, like a small flat-screen TV without a mounting.

He’d put a concealment spell on the door just in case, but he didn’t think that Yo-ka was going to be coming around there. Not tonight.

The screen in front of him was his magic mirror – the same one that was usually in his bottle with him. And instead of the outside world, it was showing him what MiA and Yo-ka were doing right now. 

At the moment, they were just at the “splashing in the pool” stage, but he knew what was coming – and it was making his heart ache.

When he first came here, he knew there was something different about MiA. He treated him with respect. He didn’t ask for selfish wishes. He didn’t demand that Subaru stay in the bottle when not needed.

He didn’t expect the full extent that MiA would treat him as a companion, though. He’d never just walked around town in a casual, friendly way with a master before. Or just shared friendly talk over dinner.

MiA had even called him his friend tonight. He hadn’t heard that word since he was bound to the bottle.

Subaru raised one arm in front of his face and pulled back his sleeve. There was one of the twin gold band that had been there since his imprisonment – the symbols of his slavery. He’d never wanted to rip them off more.

If he were a free man, he thought, if he weren’t a bottle slave, would MiA see him as more than a friend? It was a foolish idea, and one he really shouldn’t be having, but still . . .

Of course, there was the small matter of Yo-ka. Even if he were free, would he be able to compete with the great beauty – the one that MiA became a model to impress? He knew his master was completely infatuated with the man. He could tell it just from MiA’s demeanor whenever he talked about him – the softened tone, the tender look in his eyes. And then, seeing them in the mirror together . . .

Subaru dismissed it as the two of them started getting more passionate. He shouldn’t be watching any further. That would be an invasion of their privacy.

He rolled on his stomach, wrapping his arms around the pillow. At least this was more comfortable than the nothingness of the bottle – which he would be facing sooner rather than later, now that the second wish had been made. His field of vision still showed the second candle burning – it wasn’t fully granted yet, MiA could still make adjustments to the place if he wanted. (What was he trying to tell him about that pool, anyway?)

Once MiA proclaimed he was fully satisfied with the apartment, though, that flame would go out. Just one more wish to go.

Would he free me? Subaru thought. Will he be able to figure it out, and use the third wish . . . or will he use it on himself, or wish for something accidentally?

And the thought of being back in that bottle and off to yet another master made his heart hurt all over again. At least I know that MiA will be happy, he thought, unlike some masters, where he’d left them still trying to get out of the messes their misguided wishes had gotten them into.

MiA would have his career . . . and he’d have Yo-ka. He’d be fine. Really.

But still, there were tears rolling down Subaru’s face as he drifted off to a human-like sleep.

* * *

Yo-ka woke up before MiA did. He sat up in bed and looked down at the blond model, who was slumbering peacefully, reminiscent of a sleeping kitten.

They’d spent the night alternating between bouts of passionate lovemaking and sleep. The new bed had been tested thoroughly, as had the two-person shower. Whatever “lucky inheritance” had allowed MiA to buy this place must have been a damn good one.

He gently brushed the blond hair away from the other man’s face. MiA had become something of an addiction to him. He loved being with him. He loved looking at him, talking to him, making love with him.

MiA truly had given him back his fire, his love not only for his career, but for his life in general.

So why was part of his heart off somewhere in Milan? Why did he still check his phone for messages from Yuuki – even when MiA was sending him texts saying that he couldn’t wait to see him? Why did he continually look up overseas shoots and fashion shows, in hopes that he’d catch a glimpse of the man who got away?

He had hoped that MiA would be the man who’d make him forget Yuuki once and for all. And sometimes, he did forget him. Others, the ache was just as strong as the day his lover had left.

Yo-ka got out of the bed and stretched, heading for the bathroom. Maybe these things just take time, he thought.. Maybe a couple of months from now, my thoughts will be of MiA all the time and Yuuki won’t even cross my mind.

He glanced back at the sleeping MiA at the moment. He just hoped that was the case. A guy like MiA deserved a man who would love him with his full heart.

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a breathless blur. MiA had one shoot after another – Black Moral again, then Civarize, then Sexpot Revenge. He even had an autograph event where he and a couple of other models signed posters and catalogues in the Black Moral shop at Men’s 109. That was a jarring experience – all these young women lined up because they wanted to see HIM. He found himself posing for innumerable selfies with young ladies who then excitedly texted them to their friends, getting back “OMG I AM SO JEALOUS!” replies.

He continued to divide his time away from his career between Subaru and Yo-ka – which meant a lot of time in his new apartment. He kept making tweaks to it – different cabinets in the kitchen here, new curtains in the den there.

MiA had figured out – correctly so – that the second wish wouldn’t be considered completely fulfilled until the apartment was completely done – that was, until he was completely happy with it. So, the longer he too, to complete it, the longer his time with Subaru – right?

Wrong. One night, as he was trying to decide what color the fixtures in the guest bathroom should be, Subaru said, “You know that the final fulfillment of a wish has a time limit – right?”

MiA whirled toward him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that all adjustments to the wish have to be made 30 days after you make it. So after a month? The apartment becomes locked in, and the wish is considered fulfilled.”

MiA looked crestfallen. “Oh . . . I see.”

Subaru reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know. I don’t like it, either.”

“Subaru, what will I do without you? You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I mean it.”

“Don’t be silly. You have a fabulous career. You have Yo-ka. You have this place. You have everything you ever wanted – right?”

“That’s all thanks to you,” said MiA.

“I told you – all I did was make you pretty and give you a boost into the industry. All your success, and your relationship with Yo-ka? That’s all you. That came from inside you. You just needed to believe in your own magic.”

“You helped me believe in it.”

“Fair enough.” Subaru let go of his hand. “Hey – do you think there’s still an ice cream place open this time of night?”

“There should be,” MiA said. “In Shibuya, down the street from Men’s 109 . . .”

“We’re there,” Subaru said, raising his hand and preparing to snap.

“Do you know how hard it’s going to be to go back to taking the train after this?” MiA said, softly.

“You’re a supermodel now,” said Subaru. “Supermodels don’t take trains.” He snapped his fingers, and they were in an alleyway between buildings in the heart of Shibuya. They stepped out, surrounded by crowds, neon, huge screens glowing with advertising . . .

MiA suddenly grabbed Subaru’s arm. “Oh, my GOD!” he said.

Subaru looked baffled. “What?”

“There! Look over there! That’s the cologne ad I did!”

Sure enough, they were looking at an ad that covered most of the surface of a building that featured MiA, in a princely white outfit with gold trim, lounging on a very expensive couch. Next to the image of him was a Gucci logo on a black glass bottle, and below him, the words, “Gucci Guilty, Por Homme.”

“Wow,” Subaru said. “Just WOW. How does it feel to have your face the size of a skyscraper?”

MiA just stared at it. He remembered someone saying, way back in his photographer’s assistant days, that you’d know you made it when you saw your face on a billboard. Well, he’d made it – hadn’t he?

He had everything he wished for, all right – and then some.

* * *

A few days later, though, he was sitting quietly in his kitchen, leaning on the counter, his chin resting on his hand. He gazed out the window, looking at the lights on the street below, the flickering of neon.

Why, he thought, do I feel vaguely uneasy and unsatisfied?

Like Subaru said, he had a fabulous life, everything he wished for. He’d gotten the guy he wanted. He’d left being a lowly photographer’s assistant in the dust – and he’d made enough contacts that he’d never have to go all the way back there again, even if the fashion industry decided they didn't want his face attached to their products anymore.

Heck, even his mother was proud of him now. Subaru had told him that the initial wish included a magic that assured that his immediate family would recognize his model face, even if nobody else he used to know did. He got calls from his mom all the time, telling him she was bragging to her friends about her son the famous model. (His mother was also the only person in the world who still called him Shouya).

But there was just this feeling of something . . . missing.

He figured part of his unease was fear of eventually losing Subaru. But that wasn’t all of it – not by a long shot. It was just something he couldn’t put his finger on . . .

Well, there wasn’t anyone he could talk to about his feelings, was there? Nobody else had a life experience exactly like his. There weren’t exactly clubs for genie masters popping up all over Tokyo.

He hopped off the stool he was sitting on and headed upstairs. He was going to take a shower and go to bed – he had an early shoot in the morning. Maybe, once he was busy, this feeling would go away. Maybe.

* * *

Yo-ka was also looking at an early call the next morning, and was already in bed when his phone rang. He reached out with one hand from under the covers, fumbling, wondering if it was MiA looking for a late-night booty call.

But when he saw the caller ID, his heart nearly stopped. He hadn’t seen that in months. He sat bolt upright and pushed the answer button. “Yuuki?”

“So you do remember me,” said the all-too-familiar voice. “That’s a step in the right direction.”

“Yuuki, how are . . . I mean, are things all right in Milan? I mean . . .”

“Look, I know I haven’t been in touch in a long time,” Yuuki said. “I needed time to think. About us. About everything. We left things on a bad note.”

“That’s an understatement,” Yo-ka said. “The neighbors are probably still talking about the yelling that night.”

“So I figured we were through,” Yuuki said. “I tried to get my life together, date other guys. And you know what I found out? I found out the more I tried to do that, the more I fucking missed you in my heart of hearts.”

Yo-ka suddenly felt his heart leap. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing – that Yuuki had missed him as much as he’d missed Yuuki? “I fucking missed you, too,” he said. “You don’t know how much.”

“And I decided I’m not renewing the contract,” Yuuki said. “Fuck Milan. There’s too much of a language barrier here, anyway. I had to learn English just to get anything translated from the Italian.”

“I’ll bet the food’s good, though,” Yo-ka said. (This was a dream, right? This wasn’t happening. He’d wake up and find out he’d just fallen asleep with the damn phone in his bed).

“Oh, its good,” Yuuki said. “I miss ramen, though. Almost as much as I miss you. Look, Yo-ka – I’m coming home on Thursday.”

Yo-ka nearly fell out of the bed. Thursday – that was just three days from now. “You’re – you’re serious?”

“As a heart attack. And the first thing I want to do is start over again with you. This separation made me realize . . . I took you for granted. I didn’t appreciate you enough. I’m willing to appreciate you now.”

“Yuuki . . .” Oh, God, it was happening. Yuuki was coming back. Yuuki was getting back together with him. They had another shot at happiness.

“So, listen . . . I’m sending you my flight information. I managed to get a flight into Haneda, thank God, I couldn’t deal with Narita. Will you meet me at the airport?”

“I will,” Yo-ka said. “Oh, God, yes, I will!”

“Good. I’ll see you then . . . and Yo-ka? I never stopped loving you.”

“I never stopped loving you, either,” Yo-ka said. “Good night.”

When he hung up, he literally leapt from his bed and danced around the room. Yuuki was coming back! Everything he’d ever wanted was coming true. He had another shot with the love of his life! He . . .

And then, he saw the Gucci Guilty ad sitting on his desk, the beautiful blond looking out at him.

MiA. Oh, God, MiA. His comfort during these long months, the guy who’d kept him going . . .

Suddenly, his happiness had a very bittersweet side. Because in order to get back together with the one that he loved, he was going to have to break the heart of the sweetest creature in the world.

* * *

MiA was very glad that Yo-ka had asked to meet him in this particular bar when they were both done shooting. It had sentimental value, after all – it was the bar where they’d gone for their first date.

He sat opposite his lover, a beer in front of him and a smile on his face “The shoot went so well today,” he said. “I wish you could have seen it. You would have been so pleased . . . well, you’re going to see the pictures when they come out.”

“That’s good.” Yo-ka was just staring into his beer, not meeting his lover’s eyes. How could he?

“And the said that they’re going to ask me back next time they . . .” MiA suddenly noticed his companion’s expression. “Yo-ka? Is anything wrong?”

Yo-ka finally lifted his eyes to meet his – and the expression MiA saw there was enough to make his heart dive down to his stomach. It was the face of someone who was about to deliver very, very bad news.

“Yo-ka?” MiA said again, quietly.

The other model took a deep breath. “I meant it when I told you that you gave me back my fire, MiA. You’ve made a huge difference in my life – an enormous impact. There’s only one person I’ve ever known who affected me more, in fact.”

Now MiA was really starting to feel worried. It sounded like Yo-ka was avoiding telling him something. “Thank you. You’ve had a huge impact on my life, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

“And that’s why it’s so hard to . . .” Yo-ka looked away. “You remember I told you that there was someone before you? Someone who meant a lot to me, and then went away?”

MiA nodded, feeling his blood start to turn to ice.

“He . . . he called me last night. He’s coming back to Japan. He wants to give our relationship another try.”

“And what did you tell him?” Oh, God. He was dreading the answer.

“I told him yes. He’ll be here on Thursday.”

MiA’s head dropped. He could feel the world spinning crazily around him, the way it did when Subaru transported them. Only he wasn’t going anywhere – in more ways than one. “I . . . I see.”

“MiA . . .” Yo-ka reached out and covered MiA’s hands with his own. “It’s not that I don’t care for you. You’re extraordinary. You’re beautiful and smart and sexy. You’re great to just hang around with. You’re a terrific model and a fabulous lover. If he hadn’t come back . . .” He broke it off and looked away again.

“But you still love him,” MiA said.

“With everything I have. I didn’t realize how much until I heard his voice last night. And this time, I’m not going to let him go. If there’s such a thing as a true love, then he is mine.”

MiA swallowed hard and nodded. It was all he could do.

“There’s a true love out there for you, too, MiA,” Yo-ka said. “Someone as wonderful as you has got to have a soul mate waiting for him. Hell, he may be part of your life already, and you don’t even know it.”

A confusing jumble of feelings was churning around inside MiA. Disbelief, shock, horror, sadness . . . The thing he’d most wanted, the thing he’d _really_ wished for when he said he wanted to be a model, was being ripped away from him.

But what was confusing him the most was what he _wasn’t_ feeling. He was sad, yes, and disappointed . . . but he wasn’t crushed. It wasn’t the end of the world. He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut, yes – but not like his heart had been ripped out.

And the lack of those feelings was disturbing him more than anything else.

“I have to go,” he said, suddenly getting up from the table and rushing for the door. And he didn’t stop moving until he was outside, and halfway down the street.

He leaned against a building, breathing heavily, shaking all over. A young male-female couple walked past him from one direction, a woman walking a dog from the other, both oblivious to his turmoil.

He should be in frantic tears right now. He wasn’t. There was something keeping him from doing that. Something underlying, something he couldn’t quite focus on – which just made his turmoil worse.

MiA replayed the conversation that had just taken place in his mind. He could see the pain in Yo-ka’s face, hear the hurt in his words . . . 

He cared for MiA, yes. He cared for the other man who was arriving Thursday more.

And then, that final phrase again, telling him he had a soul mate waiting for him, that the person might be part of his life and he didn’t even know it . . .

He suddenly gripped the wall. The pieces started to come together in his head – and suddenly, he was seeing what should have been screamingly obvious all along.

MiA suddenly turned and frantically dashed off in the direction of home. He knew what he had to do, what he had to say. He knew what his third wish was – and it was going to be the biggest gamble of his life.

If this worked, if it paid off, he’d be the happiest man in the world. If it didn’t? He’d be living a glittery shell of a life, a top model with a beautiful apartment – but no lover, and no close companion. Everything he’d wished for – and absolutely nothing.

* * *

Subaru was in the living room, flipping through a men’s fashion magazine, looking to see if MiA had any pictures in this one.

He wasn’t expecting his master home anytime soon. He figured he’d be going out with Yo-ka after working – which meant if he did come home, it wouldn’t be alone. The genie had gotten quite good at zapping himself back into his room as soon as he heard noises in the hallway.

_It’s good that he’s bonding with Yo-ka,_ he thought. _He’ll still be with him long after I’m gone. I’m only here for one more wish._

He’d seen the second candle go out, indicating the end of the second wish. His days were numbered now. All it would take would be MiA being careless in a tired or overly emotional moment, saying a phrase that started with “I wish . . .”

And in a flash, Subaru would be back in the bottle as soon as the wish was granted. The third wish was always instant – no letting the genie hang around to tweak the details. It was spoken, it was granted, and he was a prisoner again.

There probably wouldn’t even be time to say goodbye.

He wasn’t going to think about it. He was going to cherish every moment of his freedom, every moment he could spend with his . . .

And then, MiA’s voice called from outside the door, “Subaru, I’m alone.”

The knob turned. The model walked in, quickly rid himself of his shoes, and ran over to him, flinging himself to his knees in front of the couch where Subaru sat.

“Subaru,” he said. “I have something very important to say. But after I say it, you have to promise you’re not going to go anywhere. You’re going to stay right here, and hear me out fully.”

Subaru looked baffled. “Where would I go?” he said. “You’re here and alone. When you are, I have to stay next to you.”

MiA took a deep breath and steeled himself. Okay, he thought, here it goes.

“I wish . . .” he said.

There was a look of genuine fear in Subaru’s eyes. Oh, no. Not now. The moment he’d been dreading was here. He saw the bottle suddenly appear in front of him, hovering in the air . . . ready to take him prisoner again.

“Genie . . . Subaru . . . I wish for you to be free. I wish that you be free of the bottle, and never be a slave again!”

The lights in the apartment flickered. There was a sound like a crash of thunder. The thick bracelets on Subaru’s wrists shattered, the shards of gold tumbling downward, then dissolving into nothingness. The bottle disappeared with a loud pop.

Subaru slowly rose to his feet, blinking. He literally felt like chains had been removed from his body, his soul. He was lighter . . . like a breeze could blow him away. He drew a deep breath, and felt the air rush through his whole body like it hadn’t in years. . . . decades . . . maybe even centuries.

“Oh . . .” He suddenly spoke a babble of excited words in his native language, bouncing up and down in place. “I’m free!” He threw his arms around MiA. “I’m free! Oh, MiA, you did it! You really did it! Only the third wish could free a genie!”

MiA hugged him back. “I’m glad . . I’m so glad . . . but Subaru . . . I still need to talk to you.”

“All right.” Subaru said down on the couch again – and laughed a little, wriggling around. “Tell me!”

Now came the real gamble. MiA steeled himself, and reached out to take Subaru’s hand in his. “I wanted you to be free before I said this. I wanted you to be able to make your own decisions, act on your own accord. I didn’t want you to be bound to me with any master-slave ties.”

“What is it?” Now Subaru was looking confused.

“Yo-ka broke up with me,” MiA said. “He . . . he’s going back to his old boyfriend. He’s still in love with him.”

“Oh, MiA,” Subaru squeezed the other man’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“But when he told me, it made me realize something.” MiA paused. “All this time, I thought I was in love with him. I asked you to make me a model so I could get his attention. I worked hard to be a success so I could keep that attention. Well, also because I found out I genuinely loved being a model – but he was still a factor. And yet . . .”

He took both of Subaru’s hands in his. “I was blinded by my infatuation. I couldn’t see what was really important to me. Subaru . . . it was you I loved all along. When I thought about losing you – about you going back in the bottle – it made my heart ache like nothing else. And when Yo-ka broke up with me, I could finally see that the pain of losing him . . . was nothing compared to the idea of losing you.”

Subaru looked utterly shocked – like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “MiA . . .”

“I know you’re free now,” MiA said. “I know you can go wherever you want, do whatever you please. You can explore the world, you can go back to the land of the Djinn, you can do anything. But . . .”

He looked Subaru in the eyes. “I offer you my heart and my home. I would like nothing more in the world for you to stay with me, and for us to see where it goes. I want a chance at a lasting love with you. And if it’s not something you want – that’s okay. You’re free. I can take comfort in knowing I gave you that freedom.” He paused. “And . .. that’s all I have to say.”

There was a long moment of silence, which was the longest in MiA’s entire life.

And then, Subaru threw his arms around him. “You don’t know how much, how long, I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

MiA blinked. “Really?”

“I’ve loved you from the start,” said Subaru. “I knew you were different from any other master as soon as we met. You were kinder, more considerate – you treated me like a person. And the more I got to know you, the more I realized . . .” He leaned his forehead against MiA’s. “That you were someone I could live with, as a lover – if only you’d see me that way. But I was a genie, and you were my master, so . . .”

“Are you still a genie?” MiA said. “Have you lost your powers?”

Subaru shook his head. “They’re diminished, though. A Djinn living in the human world who’s not a bottle slave can’t grant wishes anymore, and we can only do magic a certain number of times a day – I’m going to have to test my limits to find out what they are.” He smiled. “But I’ll always save them up to transport us. You’ll still never have to take the train again.”

“That was the very first magic you ever did for me, remember? Bringing me back here so I wouldn’t have to take the train?”

“I remember,” said Subaru. “I’ll never forget.”

He leaned over, bringing his face close to MiAs, tentatively inching their lips closer together . . . and MiA closed the gap, lifting his head until he was kissing Subaru, soft and gentle and sweet, the genie’s lips feeling even better than he thought they would.

Their first kiss – and it seemed to both of them that they’d been waiting for it forever.

Subaru pulled back gently from MiA with a wicked smile. “I can tell you one thing I can still use my powers for,” he said.

“And what’s that?” said MiA.

Subaru snapped his fingers – and suddenly, they were lying together on MiA’s bed, both of them completely naked.

MiA blinked in surprise – and then got an eyeful of what was next to him. Subaru was gorgeous – lean and lythe, with a nicely formed torso – and an equally nicely-formed cock. And yes, everything looked like it would on a normal human being.

“And I thought you were so innocent,” MiA said, teasingly. He leaned in toward him.

“Give me a chance to surprise you,” Subaru replied. “Oh – and my body functions just like a human’s, at least for that. You can make love to me like anyone else.”

“I think we’re both going to be very glad of that,” MiA said – right before kissing Subaru hard, pushing his tongue toward his new lover’s.

Subaru suddenly wrapped his arms around MiA, arching against him, his tongue caressing MiA’s rapidly, fluttering against it, making MiA gasp a little – he was a bit taken aback by the ferocity of Subaru’s passion. But given how long it had probably been for him . . .

He matched the fervor, opening his lips wider, plundering Subaru’s mouth with his tongue, reaching up to tangle his fingers in the soft, smooth blond hair. MiA rolled them both over so that he was on top, starting to kiss slowly down Subaru’s neck, thinking that the skin felt so soft and smooth . . .

MiA licked over the pulse line, feeling Subaru’s heart fluttering like a regular human’s would, kissing downward again, moving down over his chest. His hands explored lower, running over a taut stomach, downward to his hips, running his fingers lightly over the juncture with his legs.

His lips brushed a nipple, and he kissed it, tonguing it lightly as his fingers moved to the left, knowing full well what he was seeking . . . 

Subaru arched upward, crying out and starting to pant, as MiA’s hand brushed over his cock just as his mouth began to suck. “Oh, yes . . . please, MiA . . .”

MiA was lost in bliss. Subaru felt so good, tasted so good . . . his fingers ran along the shaft, exploring, memorizing the texture, the beautiful shape. Subaru had a cock to be proud of, something that would feel so good in a man’s hands, his mouth . . .

His tongue danced over his nipple before he lowered his head and sucked again, hungrily, the hard nub more delicious than the sweetest wine. He felt the genie shudder beneath him, and it made his own body shudder in response.

MiA had to feel that cock against his. He lay full-length atop him, bringing their hips into alignment, and the two men began to rub together, Subaru closing his eyes and letting out a long moan, raising up off the bed to grind against him.

Their mouths came together again as they moved, hardness sliding against hardness, both of them breathing heavily, losing themselves in each other’s heat. Subaru’s fingers gripped MiA’s back, sliding downward until they were grabbing his ass, squeezing it, making MiA let out a groan.

The two men rolled again so Subaru was on top this time, and he moved down, wrapping his mouth around MiA’s nipple like MiA had done to him and sucking hard. “Ohh, yes,” the model gasped, tangling his fingers in his lover’s hair again, pulling him closer.

Subaru began to lick a long trail down MiA’s chest, down to his stomach, pausing at the ring that was in his navel – a ring Subaru himself had put there during the process of turning MiA into a model. His teeth closed on it, tugging on it lightly, and MiA cried out again, arching up toward him.

The tongue moved lower, and lower, and suddenly MiA felt it brushing his erection, running around the tip, then sliding downward, a long, rapid sweep of hot wetness. MiA was writhing on the sheets now, one hand clutching the bedding, the other grabbing for Subaru, tangling in that hair, lightly tugging it.

Subaru’s response was to move down on MiA, sucking hard, seeming to relish the feel of him, the sensation of it running in and out of his lips. MiA raised his head so he could watch him at work, see that head bobbing up and down over him.

The genie raised his head and said, breathlessly, “MiA, I want to feel you in me . . .”

“Oh, yes, baby.” His words made MiA feel twice as hard. He thought his whole body was burning up. “Tell me how . . .”

“I want to sit on you,” he said. “I want to ride you.”

“Yes,” MiA murmured. “Let me find the lube.”

Subaru smiled slyly and snapped his fingers – and the lube was right there, hovering in the air over MiA. MiA snatched it and poured it onto his hand. “I thought your powers were limited now?”

“I told you I needed to test my limits. And I’ll say that was a good test.”

And he got on his hands and knees, that beautiful ass pointed toward MiA, wriggling it a little in invitation. MiA brought a slicked finger to his lover’s entrance, pushing it in.

“Oh, wow,” he moaned. “You’re so tight . . .” The finger slid in and out as MiA’s eyes remained fixated on that beautiful bottom in front of him, so wonderfully curved and firm.

What a shame it had been to keep all this beauty bottled up. Literally.

Subaru was moaning by the time he worked a second finger in, moving against MiA’s hand, and MiA thrust back, pushing the fingers deeper, opening him up. He watched the other man’s body tremble as he added the third, with low, delicious sounds filling the air.

“I’m ready . . . let me ride you, MiA, please . . .”

MiA slid his fingers out, wiping them off, and lay on his back. Subaru straddled him, moving his hips until he was in the right position, and then paused, reaching out and grasping Subaru’s hand, the two of them grasping firmly.

“I love you,” Subaru said. “I’ve waited so long to say that.”

“I love you, too,” MiA replied. He knew that truer words were never spoken.

Subaru began to move downward, and MiA nearly cried out at the wave of sensation. He was so very tight, and so hot, and incredibly delicious. He had to resist the urge to thrust his hips upward.

His eyes drank in the beautiful sight of the genie sliding down on him, his skin flushed, his nipples rock-hard, his face bearing a look of perfect erotic concentration – and, of course, that wonderful cock standing at attention.

Subaru paused, breathing heavily, his body adjusting to a sensation he hadn’t felt in far too long . . . and then, he began a slow thrust, MiA’s eyes running over his body again, drinking in every bit of his beauty.

This man was his now. Rather, they belonged to each other. The thought only enhanced the pleasure.

Subaru began to move faster, that silken shaft caressing MiA’s cock, seeming to squeeze him. The model pushed his hips upward, wanting to be deeper inside him, to fuck him hard, to make him feel every sensation that a man could feel.

They moved faster, Subaru’s hips pumping now, MiA reaching up to caress his nipples, brushing his fingers over them, then squeezing them lightly, drawing louder moans from his lover.

His hand slid down over the flat belly, feeling hot skin, damp with sweat, just wanting to make him move down even lower. And then he was grasping that cock, running his fingers all over it, exploring, caressing, rubbing . . . his palm moved slowly up the shaft, rubbing it in a slow spiral.

Subaru was moaning loudly, his head tipped back, tongue flicking at his lips, one hand covering MiA’s, guiding him, showing him how he wanted to be held and caressed. MiA ran a thumb over the tip, feeling drops of precome, smearing them around the sensitive flesh . . .

That made Subaru cry out, stiffen, then shudder, and suddenly there was hot wetness pouring and pouring over both their hands. The sheath around MiA tightened and throbbed, and suddenly MiA felt an explosion of ecstasy within him that was so intense that he thought he was going to faint. He raised his hips off the bed, thrusting up into Subaru as he released himself.

Subaru collapsed atop MiA, and the two men kissed, sweet, hot and tender. They snuggled together, clasping hands, not caring if they were still covered with come.

They just lay there for what seemed like eternity, holding onto each other as if afraid that this moment would prove to be a dream. But it was very, very real.

Subaru finally brushed MiA’s hair out of his eyes, gently. “That was worth waiting for,” he said, softly.

MiA opened his eyes. “I can’t believe it took me so long to see this,” he said.

“You saw it at the right time.” Subaru snuggled against him again. “I could only be freed with the third wish – and you were right that it was only ethical to free me before making your love confession.”

“I didn’t want to do anything that would be unfair to you in any way, Subaru. You mean too much to me.”

Subaru sighed deeply. “I just can’t believe this is real. That I’m free . . . finally . . .”

MiA wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. “Subaru . . . do you need to go home again? I mean, is there anyone back in the Djinn homeworld you want or need to see again?”

Subaru shook his head. “I don’t want to go back there,” he said. “I might go back on a brief visit to see my parents and brother, but I’d never fit back into their society. Once you’ve been a bottle slave, you’re stigmatized. Everyone thinks you did something terribly wrong – even if you were railroaded or framed, like me. I’m sure the vizier told everyone I was a traitor.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Subaru.” MiA nuzzled his lover’s hair.

“Don’t be. It ultimately brought me to you. Besides, I really do like the human world. I’d have chosen to stay here even if you hadn’t told me you love me.” He raised his head and smiled at MiA. “So . . . I get to stay here, and you still have the fabulous career, and we get to live in this apartment. Plus, we have each other. I’d say that sounds like a happily ever after for both of us.”

They both knew that a happy ending wouldn’t be instant, of course, and wasn’t guaranteed. They’d have to work at their relationship like any other couple. They’d have their ups and downs – especially as Subaru got adjusted to a permanent life away from the bottle.

But they were off to a great start, and they were both more than willing to make it work.

MiA pulled Subaru close again. “You’ll be the first Djinn to live happily ever after with his former master,” he said.

“Actually? There’s a legend about a female bottle slave who was freed by and married an American astronaut about 50 years ago. I don’t know how true it is, though.”

They stayed snuggled together in the middle of MiA’s bed . . . no, it was their bed now, they would share it. Just like they’d share all of life.

The two of them would make their own magic together – and that had nothing to do with bottles or wishes.

* * *

EPILOGUE

On a sunwashed stretch of beach, a photographer’s assistant was setting up the props for a shoot. He stepped back to survey his handiwork, and then nodded.

“You’d better make sure everything is like the boss wants it,” said Akito, the stylist. “This isn’t just any shoot, you know. This is for a cover. MiA’s going to get his pretty mug on newsstands at last.”

“MiA?” the assistant said. “Really? He’s in on this shoot?”

“Oh, hell yes,” Akito said. “Everyone’s buzzing about it. Fresh from him winning that Newcomer of the Year award, too.”

“Oh, my God!” The assistant rushed back to the set, straightening the props again, making sure everything was perfect.

Akito shook his head. Why were so many of these kids starstruck nowadays? What they needed was someone with a good head on his shoulders – like that Azu Shouya who used to work on these shoots.

He wondered what had happened to that kid. He’d vanished without a trace about a year ago. Rumor had it he’d gotten out of fashion altogether and started a new career.

His loss, Akito thought. The industry had gotten a lot more exciting since MiA appeared on the scene. Huh, come to think of it, the kid vanished just as MiA appeared. Rotten timing.

Meanwhile, across the beach, MiA sat in a director’s chair, keeping still while another stylist finished applying his makeup – and listening while his personal assistant read from an iPad.

“Tomorrow, you have a meeting with the Gucci people about the next Guilty campaign. Then Ruki wants to talk to you about Tokyo Fashion Week, but he said you can do that whenever you want to, he’s pretty much free tomorrow. Then Friday, you’re being interviewed on the Yoshiki Show – they want you at the studio at 7 a.m.”

“There,” the stylist said. “All done. And it sounds like you have a busy week.”

“I always do,” MiA said. “That’s what I wanted out of life, after all.”

“Okay, I have to tend to the other guys on the shoot.” The stylist closed her case. “You just make sure no sand blows into my handiwork, okay?”

“I have my assistant here to block my face,” MiA said. “Thanks, Kumiko.”

When the stylist left, his assistant continued. “You finally have a free day Saturday,” he said. “Should I tell anyone who wants to see you that day to get lost?”

“You bet,” MiA said, reaching for the other man’s hand. “I want to spend quality time with you. Have I mentioned you’ve become a great assistant?”

“There’s not much to it,” Subaru replied with a big smile. “I just have to take your messages, schedule your appointments and keep the gossip rags away from you.”

“And you’re damn good at it,” MiA said, giving him a quick hug. “Hey – do you know what this place is?”

Subaru looked around. “It looks kind of familiar.”

“It’s where we first met. I found your bottle right over there.” He nodded in the direction of the water’s edge.

“Really?” Subaru glanced over. “Well, then this is our beach now. Yours and mine. We’ll have to put a sign somewhere saying that this is . . .”

“MiA?” said a voice behind them.

MiA turned around – and saw a very familiar face, one he hadn’t seen in a few months. Not, in fact, since their breakup.

“Yo-ka?” he said. “Oh, my God – it’s been . . .”

“Too long, I know.” He smiled. “As it so happens, we’re on the same shoot today.”

“Terrific! Oh, Yo-ka, this is my assistant, Subaru.”

“Hello,” Subaru said, bowing with a big smile and a bow – though in the back of his mind he remembered all too well that this man was once his rival.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Yo-ka said. After a pause, he added, “I promise I won’t try anything funny.”

“Yes,” MiA said. “Subaru, I’ll be right back.”

The two of them walked a short distance away from the rest of the crew. “How have you been?” Yo-ka said. “I’ve heard that you and your assistant are . . . a thing.”

“More than a thing,” MiA said. “He’s made me happy – happier than I ever thought I could be. He’s living with me in my apartment.”

“Do you still have that pool?”

“Of course. That’s not going anywhere.” He paused. “What about you? Are you happy?”

“Ecstatic. Getting back together with Yuuki was the best thing I ever did. It’s like we needed the separation, and having been stupid for awhile, to fully realize how much we mean to each other.”

“I’m glad,” MiA said. “You deserve happiness, Yo-ka.”

“That doesn’t mean I regret our affair,” Yo-ka said. “I don’t. Not a minute of it. I’m glad it happened. In a way, it’s because I was with you – because I really learned to feel again – that I was able to get back together with him.”

“I don’t regret it, either,” MiA said. “Knowing you . . it’s why I’m successful. It’s, well . . .” He smiled. “Let’s put it this way – I wouldn’t be about to shoot a magazine cover if I hadn’t known you.”

“We need to get together sometime,” Yo-ka said. “The four of us. I’d like to get to know your Subaru – and I know you’d like Yuuki.”

“I’d like that,” MiA said. He wondered what it would be like, being “just friends” with Yo-ka after their passionate fling, those months when he was convinced that the other model was the love of his life.

He figured it might be easier than he thought. After all, he knew who the real love of his life was.

The photographer was approaching the two of them. “There you are,” he said. “We’re going to have to start shooting now. There’s dark clouds starting to roll in – they’re now saying it might rain in a couple of hours.”

“Coming,” MiA said. “We’ll be right there.”

But as it so happened, in the middle of the shoot, the clouds suddenly started to dissipate. “Well, I’ll be,” the photographer said. “How the hell did that happen? It started to clear up so fast, it’s like magic.”

MiA knew very well what happened. He glanced over to see his assistant with a big smile on his face – and he’d heard the faint sound of snapping fingers right before the clouds departed.

He might not have been granting wishes anymore, but that didn’t mean Subaru wasn’t always there to help him.

* * *

They went back to their apartment after the shoot. It was Subaru’s turn to get dinner – meaning he usually snapped his fingers and made food appear – and MiA’s turn to clean up.

He had just finished loading the dishwasher when he got a sense of something strange behind him. He turned – and saw a candle hovering in the air, brightly lit. In most households, this would be cause for alarm, fear, doubting your own eyes. In his? It was just another day.

“Well, hello,” he said to the candle. “And what are you doing here?”

The candle started to move, slowly floating out of the kitchen, as if it were inviting MiA to follow it. And follow it he did, down the hall, through the living room, up the stairs to the bedroom.

When he got there, the room was ablaze with more candles. They were on the nighttable and dresser. Some more flickered through the open bathroom door. And they were all casting their light on the naked body of Subaru, lying across the bed.

“I was waiting for you to get here,” Subaru said, sweetly – but with a hint of naughtiness in his voice.

“I’m glad I did,” MiA said. He reached for the hem of his shirt – but then, Subaru snapped his fingers, and instantly, his clothes were draped over the back of a chair. “Oh – well, that makes things easier.”

“Always worth using my powers for.” Subaru held his arms out to MiA.

MiA lay on the bed next to him, and suddenly they were in each other’s arms, their mouths coming together hard, lips opening quickly. Subaru pushed his tongue into MiA’s mouth, starting to rub gently, exploring, finding terrain that was familiar by now – but no less wondrous.

Their hands ran over each other’s bodies, caressing shoulders, arms and backs as Subaru began to kiss his way down MiA’s neck, nibbling and licking, brushing his tongue back and forth.

MiA arched his head back, fingers tangling in the other man’s hair, murmuring, “Yes, baby, you’re so good at this . . .” He moaned again as Subaru moved down further, toward his nipple, which he circled, tongue tracing wet lines on sensitive skin, before flicking back and forth over the bud.

He raised his head and murmured, “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” MiA said, reaching up to stroke his hair.

Subaru nodded. “You’ll see,” he said. “But . . . you have to earn it first.”

“I’d better get started, shouldn’t I?” MiA let his hand slide down Subaru’s stomach, squeezing the taut flesh, teasing his navel. He felt Subaru push his hips forward in anticipation as he moved lower, and lower still.

He felt the usual thrill as his fingers closed around that lovely hardness. He could touch Subaru a billion times, and he was still like some sort of miracle. His hand slid upward, feeling the texture of him, the ridges and veins, the heat and the hardness.

And then Subaru was returning the favor, his fingers running along MiA’s erection, tracing patterns, caressing the most sensitive spots, paying special attention to the junction between the tip and shaft.

MiA moaned loudly, starting to move his hips, responding by rubbing Subaru twice as fast, twisting his hand a little as it moved along the shaft, watching his lover’s face, the way his eyes fluttered closed, his lips parted, his cheeks took on a lovely flush.

He felt his lover’s fingers on the tip of his hardness, running back and forth, teasing the slit on top, then pulling away, then teasing again – before moving his hand away. “We’re both going to come if we keep this up,” he said.

“Is that a bad thing?” MiA eased his hand away as well.

“It is when I’ve got enough magic left today to use in bed.” Subaru rolled away from him, got up on all fours and gave MiA a sultry look over his shoulder, looking for all the world like a dirty angel, a deeply arousing contrast of innocence and lust.

MiA mentally counted – Subaru had transported them to the shoot and back, altered the weather, made dinner, enchanted the candle and got him naked. Five spells. He had three more left for the day – a figure arrived at by trial and error during his first couple of months of freedom.

“Is that what my surprise is about?” MiA said.

“You’ll see.” Subaru raised his hand to snap. MiA knew what that meant by experience – he was prepping himself, making himself loosened and lubed with magic, so they could skip straight to the best part . . .

Except MiA felt a strange warmth in his own ass. He felt compelled to lean over until his hands were on the bed, and a soft pleasure filled him, making him moan a little. When it faded, he could feel something wet back there, as if . . .

“Subaru – what is this? It feels like . . .”

Subaru looked back at him again, sweetly naughty. “Take me,” he said. “You’ll find out.”

MiA wasn’t going to argue with an invitation like that. He grasped his lover’s hips, pushing into him slowly, moaning as that tight heat encircled him, pulling him in like it always did, making him a part of the other man . . .

And then, Subaru raised his hand and snapped again. MiA felt something at his own entrance, starting to gently push into him as he pushed into Subaru. Oh, my GOD. He was being penetrated as he penetrated his love.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see a hot pink sex toy hovering at his ass – one they’d bought together at an adult shop not too long ago. And it was pushing its way into him, just as he pushed into Subaru.

“Oh, fuck,” he murmured – but in a good way. “I can’t believe . . .”

The advantages of having a genie as the love of your life. He would have loved Subaru with all his heart if he’d been a normal human, of course – but at times like these, he was very glad that he’d been a boy in a bottle.

MiA leaned over, buried within his love, kissing his neck – and the toy paused within him as well, letting him get used to being filled. It was like nothing MiA had ever experienced – nothing he dared even fantasize about. Tightness and hardness at the same time, being at once the top and the bottom, the giver and the receiver . . .

He started to pull his hips back, and the toy pulled back at the same time, sliding out of him as he slid out of Subaru. It thrust forward when he did, filling his sheath as he filled his love’s.

“Yes,” he moaned as he started to speed up. “Yes, oh, my God, oh, Subaru . . .” The toy moved to his rhythm, fucking him slowly at first, stimulating bundles of nerves deep within him, just as the tightness of his lover encased him, caressing him in just the right way.

It was sensory overload. MiA closed his eyes, utterly lost in sensation as he sped up, and the toy sped up along with him, penetrating him, filling him, sliding through his channel as he slid through Subaru’s.

“Fuck me,” he moaned, feeling the toy plunge into him deeper, setting off shivers of pure lust through his body, and he thrust deeper into Subaru in turn, hearing his lover’s answering moan, the thrust of the genie’s hips back toward him.

MiA began to move faster, harder, in an erotic frenzy now, fucking himself on the toy, then fucking Subaru, being filled, then filling. His body was a channel of sensation, hot pulses coming from his ass as the thing moved in him, fiery tingles from his cock as it plunged into tight heat, over and over.

He was utterly losing himself in the moment, his hips pumping hard, his body pouring with sweat, somehow having the presence of mind to wrap a hand around Subaru’s body, grabbing his erection and stroking it, wanting his lover to feel at least some of what he was.

Subaru moaned in response, his own hips thrusting back harder as he moaned, “MiA, yes, MiA, go on, make yourself come . . .”

MiA didn’t want to, he wanted the moment to go on forever, wanted to go on feeling the deep thrusts within as he thrust deep into his lover, but at the same time, it was too much, he was burning, aching, his body was trembling, he needed release so badly . . .

The toy thrust deep and hard, hitting a very sweet spot in him, and MiA threw his head back, screaming as an intense ecstasy flooded him, his vision turning to white as he plunged deep into Subaru’s body, pumping him full of seed – and he heard Subaru’s answering cry as his lover found his own release, hot wetness dripping over MiA’s hand.

The toy gently slid out and plunked down to the mattress, the enchantment concluded. MiA collapsed to the bed as well, landing next to Subaru, just lying on his stomach, feeling like he’d never be able to move again. He was utterly, completely satisfied in mind, body and soul.

Subaru leaned over and kissed him. “Are you alive?” he whispered, teasingly.

MiA just let out a little grunt, lying absolutely still. Alive? Yes. Right now, he couldn’t confirm the presence of any bones, though. Or the ability to move at all. The correct answer to that question was, “Yes, but I may be an amoeba.”

“I wanted to give you that,” Subaru said, gently, resting his head against his lover’s. “I wanted you to feel pleasure that intense – because I love you so much.” He stroked MiA’s hair. “I could tell you I love you a hundred times a day and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

MiA just basked in the afterglow – and the words his lover just spoke. There was no doubt of Subaru’s sincerity. MiA knew Subaru was the one person who would have loved him even if he’d still been frumpy old Shouya.

But he was glad for every step of the journey they’d been on together, from his transformation into MiA onward. He wouldn’t trade a moment of it for the world.

“I’ll be right back,” Subaru said, and rushed for the bathroom, coming back with wet cloths. He cleaned both of them up, after which MiA slowly raised his head. “Oh, good, you are alive!”

“I’m not going to miss one moment with you,” MiA said, leaning over to kiss his lover.

Subaru put the cloths down and wrapped his arms around MiA. “We’re just a couple of saps, aren’t we? I’ll bet we’d make people around us ill if they could see how lovey-dovey we get sometimes.”

“I can’t help the way I feel,” MiA said. “And they wish they had someone like you.” Not just the genie part – but who Subaru was inside, in his heart.

Subaru lay down next to MiA, pulling covers over both of them and yawning. “How weird was it that we were back on the same beach where we met today?” he said.

“I think it was appropriate,” MiA said. “And from now on, we’re going to go back there every year, on our anniversary.”

“I like that idea,” Subaru yawned again. Since he’d been living in the human world, he’d found he had more need for things like food and sleep. A small price to pay for the life he’d found.

MiA was falling asleep, thinking again about being on that beach again today – standing in the same spot where, one year ago, he’d been a dowdy photographer’s assistant barely scraping by and living in a crappy apartment. Now, he was a supermodel living in a near-palace, with an ever-growing bank account.

But it would all mean nothing without the person lying in his arms. Because Subaru was the real fulfillment of all his long-ago dreams.

He was all he’d ever wished for.

**Author's Note:**

> The porn pool – featured, of course, in Mejibray’s Secret No 3 PV – is something I am never going to let slide or let die. XD Yep, that’s a direct I Dream of Jeannie reference Subaru makes toward the end. His bottle and his initial genie costume are based on the ones from that series.


End file.
